Carnevale1729 Ann Hallenberg il pomo d’oro Stefano Montanari CARNEVALE 1729 CD 1 Geminiano Giacomelli (1692 – 1740): ”Gianguir” 1 Mi par sentir la bella * 9. 43 Giuseppe Maria Orlandini (1676 – 1760): ”Adelaide” 2 Non sempre invendicata * 5. 38 3 O, del mio caro sposo...Quanto bello agl’occhi miei * 15. 22 4 Scherza in mar la navicella * 5. 44 5 Vedrò più liete e belle* 8. 40 Geminiano Giacomelli (1692 – 1740): ”Gianguir” 6 Vanne, si, di al mio diletto * 7. 11 Total playing time CD 1: 52. 23 CD 2 MUSICIANS Tomaso Albinoni (1671 – 1751): ”Filandro” Violins I 1 Il tuo core in dono accetto * 4. 07 Stefano Montanari, Zefira Valova, Anna Melkonyan, Heriberto Delgado 2 Fior ch’a spuntar si vede * 3. 31 Violins II Nicola Porpora (1686 – 1768): ”Semiramide riconosciuta” Paolo Cantamessa, Barbara Altobello, Maria Grokhotova, Daniela Nuzzoli 3 Il pastor, se torna aprile * 6. 28 4 In braccio a mille furie 3. 04 Viole 5 Bel piacer saria d'un core * 8. 35 Enrico Parizzi, Daniela Nuzzoli, Giulio D’Alessio Leonardo Leo (1694 – 1744): ”Catone in Utica” Celli 6 Soffre talor del vento * 6. 48 Ludovico Minasi, Irene Liebau 7 Ombra cara, ombra adorata * 9. 22 Basso Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 1730): ”L'abbandono di Armida” Davide Nava 8 Nave altera che in mezzo all'onde * 4. 17 Cembalo Total playing time CD 2: 46. 17 Federica Bianchi * World premiere recording Oboi Emiliano Rodolfi, Olga Marulanda Ann Hallenberg Il pomo d’oro Basson Stefano Montanari Michele Fattori The Carnival of Venice! was essential. the mezzosoprano Faustina Bordoni and all castrati: Farinelli was to make his the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni. Their Venetian debut in the opening premier An annual spectacle which for two In this regard the carnival season of endless quarrels however had worn him of the season, heading an already star- months swelled the magical city on the year 1729 was almost a ‘perfect out so much that he wanted to get rid studded cast of singers. This artistic duel the sea already in the 18th century storm’: it brought many of Europe’s of them, and their enormous fees had was the main issue of the winter. The with tourists and adventure seekers most famous singers to town at the ruined the finances of his company. British consul Elizeus Burges wrote to from every corner of the earth. Of same time – but on different stages! London: ‘The whole town is so taken up course music and opera were an And they sang music by some of the Thus, after the season of 1728 the future with the competition between Farinelli important part of the entertainment, most modern and brilliant composers was so uncertain that no operas could and Bordoni that we think and talk of and no young nobleman on his ‘Grand of their time. The competition between be planned for the next winter. That nothing else. The lady’s strength lies Tour’ would miss visiting some of the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo made three of the most sought after chiefly among the foreigners, especially the city’s many theatres, listening to and the Teatro San Cassiano electrified singers suddenly available at the same the English and French; but the Eunuch the latest celebrated virtuoso, and the audiences. All music on this disc time, and all left England immediately: has almost all the Italians on his side.’ attending the newest opera. Unlike was performed in eight frantic weeks Cuzzoni went to Vienna, while Senesino most other European cities - where between Dec. 26th 1728 and Feb. 27th and Faustina were engaged together The opera which opened the entire opera was essentially a status symbol 1729! for the coming carnival season at the carnival season was Leonardo Leo’s of aristocratic rulers - Venice was a Teatro San Cassiano in Venice. tragedia per musica CATONE IN UTICA, republic, and thus opera houses were And somehow this was - at least in on a very recent libretto by the famed private enterprises, organized by the part - the fault of George Frideric This alone would have resulted in Pietro Metastasio, performed on Dec. wealthy dynasties of La Serenissima. Handel. In his operatic enterprise in considerable public interest, but for the 26th at the San Grisostomo. It received They competed with each other, not London he had employed some of the same season the Grimani family, which ‘maximum approval’ according to the only for prestige, but also to keep these most famous singers of his time: the owned the lavish Teatro San Giovanni newspaper Diario ordinario. Surprisingly, business ventures successful. To present alto castrato Francesco Bernardi, better Grisostomo, had at enormous cost Farinelli took the role of Arbace, which singer stars and fashionable composers known under his artist name Senesino, managed to hire the most famous of was in Metastasio’s original design English only a secondary male character after work is the gentle Ombra cara, ombra example of Giacomelli’s elegant, very carnival. Also the Teatro San Moisè, run the title role (sung by the famous alto adoratafor Emilia (sung by soprano individual style (sometimes described by the Giustiniani family, scheduled castrato Nicola Grimaldi, better known Antonia Negri), the widow of Pompey, as ”difficult” by his contemporary performances. They were next to have as Nicolini, a Cavaliere della Croce di who was defeated by Giulio Cesare in listeners), full of surprising modulations, their first premier, on Jan. 5th, with San Marco and darling of the Venetian the Great Roman Civil War. twists and turns, is Semira’s (Faustina DORICLEA, composed probably by audiences since 1699) and Cesare, Bordoni) Vanne, si, di al mio diletto. But Giovanni Porta. The music to this opera sung by another castrato, Domenico Only one day later, Dec. 27th, the Teatro also Senesino, in the role of Semira’s is unfortunately missing. Due to poor Gizzi. Though Leonardo Leo gave his San Cassiano opened its doors for the lover Cosrovio received some stunning attendance the work saw only three three castrati almost exactly the same first premier: Geminiano Giacomelli’s music, for example the achingly performances this winter. It seems as number of arias, Farinelli’s music is dramma per musica GIANGUIR, beautiful Mi par sentir la bella with solo if the audience focused entirely on the maybe the least spectacular for these an adaption of an older libretto by oboe and pizzicati strings, which ends two other houses, especially since the three singers. So it is not surprising that Apostolo Zeno. Giacomelli was a pupil the first act. singer ensemble of San Moisè lacked he insisted on replacing an original aria of Alessandro Scarlatti and had in 1724 the ‘big names’. After this failure San with the showstopper Cervo in bosco, introduced himself to the Venetian Owen Swiney, an Irish singer-scout Moisè was quick to bring a replacement, from Leonardo Vinci’s opera IL MEDO, audiences with a very successful in Italy, wrote that ‘Faustina gain’d and already on Jan. 24th they staged which he had sung the previous year in IPERMESTRA, with Faustina Bordoni in immortal Honour this Carnival, but a new work: FILANDRO, by a favourite Parma. Ann Hallenberg has recorded the title role. He became quickly one of Senesino lost much reputation’ in composer of the Venetians, and a son of this aria in her tribute to Farinelli earlier, the most popular operatic composers GIANGUIR, however he was able to the town: Tomaso Albinoni. so for this recital we chose instead of his generation, and now he had recover some of it again in the following Soffre talor del vento, a rather unusual, again the opportunity to write for this ADELAIDE. In fact this work was a revival of an technically very demanding storm-aria great primadonna. The spectacular cast earlier success, the dramma comico- which shows the virtuosity and technical behind Bordoni and Senesino included The theatres of San Cassiano and pastorale L’INCOSTANZA SCHERNITA skills of Domenico Gizzi with big, rapid the castrato Domenico Annibali, the San Grisostomo were in fact not the from 1727. Thankfully this production, leaps. The second ‘highlight’ from this tenor Giovanni Paita and others. A fine only houses to stage opera during with several new arias, was received ”with general enthusiasm”. The scores been performed in Florence 1725, but served her here with a spectacular the whole season is Vedrò più liete e of both these works are unfortunately was now - as usual in such cases – showstopper, which in the structure belle for Senesino, a beautiful, elegant also lost, but in a collection of 27 almost entirely rewritten and the roles and length of the coloratura reminds aria with solo violin in the French Albinoni-arias preserved in the Bodleian were tailor-made for the stars of the more of an aria for a castrato than for style. (Orlandini expressly titled it alla Library Oxford no less than ten arias new Venetian cast. The emotional a female singer. One can’t help to think franchese). No wonder the castrato was from L’INCOSTANZA SCHERNITA can centre of the work is certainly the large that Faustina wanted to beat Farinelli in able to win back some lost reputation be found, and eight of these appear solo scene for the title heroine, of course the other theatre with his own weapons with such an aria, which suited his also in the libretto of FILANDRO. For the sung by Faustina, in the middle of the and prove that she could do anything temperament perfectly. recording we chose two arias for the second act, containing a dramatic, he could at least as well. primadonna Teresa Peruzzi in the role of harmonically tight accompanied Four days after, on Feb.