VALER SABADUS Concerto Köln Nicola Conforto (1718-1793) Ezio: Sinfonia 1 I
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FarinelliCaro and MetastasioGemello VALER SABADUS Concerto Köln Nicola Conforto (1718-1793) Ezio: Sinfonia 1 I. Allegro assai 1:44 2 II. Andantino e con un poco di moto 1:26 3 III. Allegro assai 0:45 Geminiano Giacomelli (1692-1740) Adriano in Siria Libretto: Pietro Metastasio (adapted for Venice) 4 Amor, dover, rispetto (Farnaspe) 6:35 Antonio Caldara (1670-1736) La morte d‘Abel 5 Introduzione 3:42 Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) Ruggiero Libretto: Pietro Metastasio 6 Di quello ch‘io provo (Ruggiero) 5:49 Nicola Conforto La Nitteti Libretto: Pietro Metastasio 7 Se d‘amor, se di contento (Sammete) 7:47 Nicola Antonio Porpora (1686-1768) Angelica e Medoro Libretto: Pietro Metastasio 8 Non giova il sospirar (Tirsi) 3:34 Carlo Broschi (Farinelli) (1705-1782) La Partenza Text: Pietro Metastasio 9 Ecco quel fiero istante 1:28 Nicola Antonio Porpora Polifemo Libretto: Paolo Antonio Rolli 10 Senti il fato (Aci) 9:03 Antonio Caldara Recording: July 4-9 2017, La morte d‘Abel Bühnen Köln – Orchesterprobenzentrum Stolberger Straße, Cologne Libretto: Pietro Metastasio Recording Producer & Sound Engineer: Jakob Händel 11 Quel buon pastor son io (Abel) 9:25 Editing / Mixing / Mastering: Jakob Händel 12 Questi al cor fin ora ignoti (Abel) 6:16 Flavio Ferri-Benedetti edited the works performed in Tracks 1–5, 7 and 11–12 / Nicola Antonio Porpora Angelica e Medoro Flavio Ferri-Benedetti ist der Herausgeber der Werke 1-5, 7 und 11-12. Libretto: Pietro Metastasio 13 Il piè s‘allontana (Tirsi) 4:55 Fotos: Cover, Bookletfotos©Christine Schneider, Concerto Köln©Harald Hoffmann Nicola Antonio Porpora Artwork: [ec:ko] communications Polifemo P & C 2018 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH Libretto: Paolo Antonio Rolli www.sonyclassical.com 14 Alto Giove (Aci) 9:17 Total time / Gesamtspielzeit: 71:50 Concerto Köln violin / Violine I viola / Viola oboe / Oboe lute / Laute Markus Hoffmann Antje Sabinski Susanne Regel Michael Dücker Frauke Pöhl Aino Hildebrandt Kristin Linde Chiharu Abe Claudia Steeb harpsichord / Cembalo Horst-Peter Steffen horn / Horn Christoph Anselm Noll Wolfgang von Kessinger violoncello / Violoncello Andrew Hale Jan Kunkel Jörg Schulteß violin / Violine II Alexander Scherf Jörg Buschhaus bassoon / Fagott Antje Engel double bass / Kontrabass Lorenzo Alpert Hedwig van der Linde Jean-Michel Forest Bettina von Dombois www.concerto-koeln.de “I love you, like Farinello was composed by “old-fashioned” maestro Caldara, which Metastasio describes in his letters as a bit austere and too dense in counterpoint. Still, the resulting product is extremely deserves to be loved” touching with its pure melodies and unexpected syncopations (note the Sinfonia and the two arias proposed here, especially Quel buon pastor son io). “...E che appreser gemelli a sciorre il volo / la tua voce in Parnaso e il mio pensiero.” / “Like twins, your voice and my thoughts learned to take flight in Parnassus.” Farinelli met Emperor Charles VI during this long Viennese stay. The monarch advised him to turn to a more sentimental, less charged style of expressiveness. This remark might have Thus writes Pietro Metastasio from Vienna, in a sonnet dedicated to his dearest friend, the affected his ideas about the, often, vain operatic world, where feelings were easily overruled famous Carlo Broschi, better known as Farinelli. It is 1756: the 51-year old castrato, retired by coloraturas. Nevertheless, he was now at the peak of his fame and, the year after, we from the stage for almost twenty years already and well established in Madrid, is now can see an example of the wild, endless roulades and virtuosic passages he was demanded the favourite of king Ferdinand VI (like he was of his father Philip V). The aforementioned to perform in arias like Amor, dover, rispetto, from Giacomelli’s Adriano in Siria (Venice 1733), sonnet was to accompany the libretto to Nitteti, an opera which Farinelli had especially again a very successful libretto by Metastasio, although the aria’s text is a replacement commissioned to Metastasio for the Spanish court, where he was also directing the royal especially written for Venice. We do not know who wrote these substitute verses, but they shows. The term gemello, “twin”, was used by them especially in the private sphere, as we probably were effective, for Farinelli would use the text again in London, for Veracini’s can see from the correspondence that has survived to our days. Adriano in Siria, a couple of years later. Quite a customary thing at the time, reminiscent of the pasticcio practice, which Metastasio often lamented (seeing his works mutilated or This extremely tender way of addressing each other was due to the extraordinary fact that changed to please singers or impresarios). Farnaspe’s aria at the end of Act II was meant to both had debuted in the musical scene at the same time and in the same piece, Angelica be, at all rates, È falso il dir che uccida. e Medoro, a “serenata” composed by Porpora in 1720 to celebrate in Naples the birthday of Austrian empress Elisabeth Christine. Metastasio, a former enfant prodige, a young So much for Farinelli singing works by Metastasio (original or altered). Yet, we fancied to lawyer and a promising librettist in his early twenties, inspired and promoted by prima picture him also in his customary professional context, with texts written by other librettists, donna Marianna Benti-Bulgarelli (“La Romanina”), had here a first chance to have his verses provoking thus a comparison in quality. When his name was already at its highest, Farinelli sung in public. Farinelli, only fifteen years old and one of Porpora’s best students, had the arrived in London and triumphed there like everywhere else. Once again under the baton opportunity to sing on stage for the first time as shepherd Tirsi. This successful start would of his teacher Porpora, he would probably reach the epitome of virtuosity in works like gradually bring both to a meteoric rise: they became respectively the biggest librettist and Polifemo (1735), as shepherd Aci: the aria Senti il fato, with its baroque echoes, heroic jumps the biggest singer of their time. Quite a special couple of friends indeed. But how could we and endless passages, would strongly contrast with the splendidly lyrical Alto Giove, more attempt to draw a musical portrait of such a friendship, a link between two artists who inclined to Farinelli’s taste for the sentimental, with its long lines, sensual nuances and a had barely seen each other for so many years, yet were so faithfully attached as to call chance to move the audience with something more than mere fireworks. Still, here one can themselves “twins” until the very end? How could we trace a thread between 1720 and 1782 feel that the text is written by a different hand, that of Paolo Rolli: an experienced operatic (the year of their deaths)? librettist for sure, who had also worked for Handel (see Floridante or Riccardo Primo), but lacking the elegance, the harmony and the grace of Metastasio’s immortal verses. The first natural impulse would be that of reminiscing occasions where Farinelli actually sang works by Metastasio, in an ideal, artistic union of forces. A logical starting point, then, has And now comes the dilemma: two years after Polifemo, at the age of 32 and at the peak of to be the aforementioned Angelica e Medoro (Naples 1720): there, the fresh combination of his fame, Farinelli surprisingly retired from the public stage, leaving London and moving to teenager Farinelli, young Metastasio and Nicola Porpora closing the triangle, resulted in arias Madrid, where he would sing privately for two consecutive monarchs in order to soothe their that are pastoral, youthful, gently Arcadian – note the violino obbligato, for instance, in the mental disorders. How can we maintain the musical and poetical link between our twins if adorable Il piè s’allontana. From this point on, as we said, the singer and the poet would the singer does not “sing” anymore? A first attempt could be that of listening to the echoes be blessed with ever increasing popularity throughout Europe, “learning to fly in Parnassus” of Madrid’s beginning operatic scene, where Farinelli directed every aspect of the staging and after such a propitious start. It would be inevitable for Farinelli to often sing operas written music-making. There he heard, among others, a much younger castrato, Filippo Elisi, starring by his friend (Catone in Utica, Semiramide riconosciuta, Artaserse...) during the following in the opera commissioned especially to Metastasio for Spain, as we mentioned (Nitteti, years. Finally, in 1732, they would meet again in Vienna, where Metastasio was now the 1756). Farinelli, in this case, was not a performer, but a commissioner and a listener who was Imperial Poet and wrote the libretti to the court’s operas and oratorios. During Lent, Farinelli also involved backstage. The bond between him and his poet friend was, then, still fruitful, was not to sing in operas, but in two sacred oratorios. The one written by our poet, La morte still producing works of art. Note how Conforto’s music, not only in the aria from Nitteti, but d’Abel, starred our singer as Abel and alto castrato Gaetano Orsini as Cain, while the music also in the Sinfonia for Ezio, another Metastasian libretto, moves away from the late baroque glories which had surrounded Farinelli’s and Metastasio’s beginnings, clearly showing early „Ich liebe dich so, wie Farinello es classical traits both in the vocal writing and in the orchestration. verdient, geliebt zu werden.“ Our dear musico was soon to be sent home, quite dryly, by Charles III, who did not like castrati at all. He moved to Bologna in a hurry and lived there in intermittent melancholy “E che appreser gemelli a sciorre il volo / la tua voce in Parnaso e il mio pensiero.“ / „Wie until 1782, surrounded by his treasures and memories, and receiving many visits, including Zwillinge lernten mein Geist und deine Stimme, ihre Schwingen im Parnass zu erheben.“ excited 14-year old Mozart and wise Padre Martini.