FRANCESCO CAVALLI L’AMORE INNAMORATO Nuria Rial soprano Hana Blažíková soprano L’ARPEGGIATA Christina Pluhar theorbo, baroque harp Doron David Sherwin cornetto Veronika Skuplik baroque violin Judith Steenbrink baroque violin Eero Palviainen archlute, baroque guitar Marcello Vitale baroque guitar Sarah Ridy baroque harp Margit Übellacker psaltery Elisabeth Seitz psaltery Lixsania Fernandes viola da gamba Rodney Prada viola da gamba Paulina van Laarhoven lirone Josetxu Obregon baroque cello Rüdiger Kurz violone Boris Schmidt double bass Haru Kitamika harpsichord, organ Francesco Turrisi harpsichord, organ David Mayoral percussion Christina Pluhar direction 1 L’Armonia (Prologo) 7:47 11 Affliggetemi, guai dolenti 2:23 L’Ormindo L’Artemisia 3 2 Sinfonia 2:31 12 Che città 3:34 Il Giasone L’Ormindo 3 Piante ombrose 3:07 Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger La Calisto 13 Toccata prima 5:30 4 Restino imbalsamate 4:20 14 Alle ruine del mio regno 7:07 La Calisto La Didone 5 Vieni, vieni in questo seno 3:39 15 L’alma fiacca svanì 4:23 La Rosinda La Didone 6 Verginella io morir vo’ 3:54 Andrea Falconieri La Calisto 16 La suave melodia 3:30 7 Ninfa bella 3:37 66:52 La Calisto 8 Non è maggior piacere 4:38 La Calisto 9 Dammi morte 4:33 L’Artemisia 10 Sinfonia 2:18 Nuria Rial 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 15 L’Eliogabalo Hana Blažíková 1, 5, 7, 9, 11 4 Christina Pluhar L’Armonia (Prologo) Restino imbalsamate from L’Ormindo, 1644 from La Calisto, 1651 Libretto by Giovanni Faustini Libretto by Giovanni Faustini 5 Arr. Christina Pluhar Arr. Christina Pluhar Hana Blažíková, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Judith Steenbrink, Lixsania Fernandez, Rodney Prada, Judith Steenbrink, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Josetxu Orbegon, Paulina van Laarhoven, Rüdiger Kurz, Paulina van Laarhoven, Rüdiger Kurz, Margit Übellacker, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) (theorbo & direction) Vieni, vieni in questo seno Sinfonia from La Rosinda, 1651 from Il Giasone, 1648 Libretto by Giovanni Faustini Libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini Hana Blažíková, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Judith Steenbrink, Paulina van Laarhoven, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, Lixsania Fernandez, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Francesco Turrisi (harpsichord), Paulina van Laarhoven, Rüdiger Kurz, Margit Übellacker, Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Verginella io morir vo’ from La Calisto, 1651 Piante ombrose Libretto by Giovanni Faustini from La Calisto, 1651 Arr. Christina Pluhar Libretto by Giovanni Faustini Arr. Christina Pluhar Nuria Rial, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Paulina van Laarhoven, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, Eero Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Palviainen (baroque guitar), Haru Kitamika (harpsichord), Judith Steenbrink, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Marcello Vitale, David Mayoral, Boris Schmidt, Paulina van Laarhoven, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Ninfa bella Sinfonia from La Calisto, 1651 from L’Eliogabalo, 1668 Libretto by Giovanni Faustini Libretto anon., completed Aurelio Aureli Arr. Christina Pluhar 6 Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Judith Steenbrink, Hana Blažíková, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Lixsania Fernandez, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Eero Palviainen (baroque Rüdiger Kurz, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, guitar), Haru Kitamika (harpsichord), Marcello Vitale, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), David Mayoral, Boris Schmidt, Francesco Turrisi (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Affliggetemi, guai dolenti Non è maggior piacere from L’Artemisia, 1657 from La Calisto, 1651 Libretto by Nicolò Minato Libretto by Giovanni Faustini Arr. Christina Pluhar Arr. Christina Pluhar Hana Blažíková, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Judith Steenbrink, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Judith Steenbrink, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Paulina van Laarhoven, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, Margit Übellacker, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (baroque Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), guitar), Haru Kitamika (harpsichord), Marcello Vitale, Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) David Mayoral, Boris Schmidt, Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Che città from L’Ormindo, 1644 Dammi morte Libretto by Giovanni Faustini from L’Artemisia, 1657 Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Libretto by Nicolò Minato Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Margit Übellacker, Arr. Christina Pluhar Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (baroque guitar), Haru Kitamika (organ), Marcello Vitale, David Mayoral, Hana Blažíková, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Boris Schmidt, Francesco Turrisi (harpsichord), Judith Steenbrink, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Paulina Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) van Laarhoven, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (harpsichord), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) Toccata prima La suave melodia from Libro quarto d’intavolatura from Il primo libro di canzone, sinfonie, ecc., di chitarrone, 1640 1650 7 Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger c.1580–1651 Andrea Falconieri 1585/6–1656 Elisabeth Seitz, Paulina van Laarhoven, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Elisabeth Seitz, Christina Pluhar (baroque harp & direction) Paulina van Laarhoven, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (baroque harp Alle ruine del mio regno & direction) from La Didone, 1641 Libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello Arr. Christina Pluhar Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Paulina van Laarhoven, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) L’alma fiacca svanì from La Didone, 1641 Libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello Arr. Christina Pluhar Nuria Rial, Doron David Sherwin, Veronika Skuplik, Rodney Prada, Josetxu Obregon, Paulina van Laarhoven, Rüdiger Kurz, Sarah Ridy, Eero Palviainen (archlute), Haru Kitamika (organ), Christina Pluhar (theorbo & direction) CHE CITTÀ – WHAT A CITY The entertainment industry of Venice and the operas of Francesco Cavalli 8 One of the most glorious moments in cultural history is often considered to be the opening of the first public opera house in Venice in 1637. But another event of interest, almost exactly contempo - rary, is generally disregarded by the history books: in 1638 the first public casino, ‘Il Ridotto’, opened in the same city. There had of course been games of chance in Venice before this. It was the fact that the illegal activities in the countless little backstreet gambling dens, the casini, had got so far out of hand that forced the authorities to establish an officially licensed house to regulate the passion for gambling. At the Ridotto everyone who had money could try his or her luck, regardless of origin and rank. More over, the casino in the Palazzo Dandolo guaranteed its customers anonymity. Hidden by a mask and cape, maidservant and patrician wife, merchant and aristocrat were able to enjoy their vices and pleasures. Although from our modern perspective the creation of a temple of high culture and a casino may seem to have little to do with each other, they are aspects of the same phenomenon. Opera and the casino were just two of the many pleasures with which Venetians lured tourists to their city during Carnival. This they did so successfully that the population of the city nearly doubled during this ‘fifth season’. Yet the biggest attraction of Venice was neither music nor gambling, but its reputation as a capital of prostitution: there are said to have been 11,643 courtesans in Venice in 1519 (out of a population of about 120,000). In the middle of the sixteenth century there was a city guide in circulation on the subject, listing the services, addresses and prices of the best-known ladies. Even today, a must for travellers to Venice interested in the history of morals is a visit to the Ponte delle Tette (the ‘bridge of tits’), where the whores once openly flaunted their charms on express instruction from the city government. Spectacle, showmanship and drama formed an inseparable trinity in Venice. During the months of Carnival Venice was a Las Vegas on the Adriatic, a great urban theatre with regattas, human pyramids of gymnasts, floating stages and acrobatic interludes such as the ‘Flight of the Turks’ from the Campanile to the loggia of the Doge’s Palace. Spectators on a small budget were captivated by the puppet theatre or satisfied their delight in mockery at the commedia dell’arte. Those who could spend more for their pleasure allowed themselves to be enchanted by the sophisticated machinery of illusion in the opera house. Venice was literally the city of theatre. Not only because there was an especially large number of performance venues, but because cunning commerce in truth and 9 deception, masks, facades, display and concealment was something deeply rooted in the city’s social life. It was precisely their hard-bitten realism and business acumen that made the inhabi tants of the ancient trading metropolis