Vivaldi: Orlando Furioso / Spinosi, Et Al CD

 Unheralded Vivaldi Masterwork Given a First-Class Production
Composer Antonio Vivaldi may always stand in the shadow of his contemporary Handel when it comes to Baroque compositions, and the distinction between the two is further blurred by the fact that both composed operas based on the same epic poem, Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso". Vivaldi's 1727 opera came about eight years prior to Handel's "Alcina". Unsurprisingly, while several recordings of "Alcina" have been produced (including a particularly strong one of the 1999 William Christie-conducted Paris Opéra production with Renée Fleming and Susan Graham released in 2000), this is the first full recording of Vivaldi's work, part of the Naďve label's commitment to bring Vivaldi's largely unknown but beautifully composed operas to light. Based on this stellar ensemble performance, I would argue that "Orlando furioso" is the stronger of the two works based on the recitatives, which are far more dramatically gripping, and the arias which not only showcase splendid voices but provide an intractable context for the intense drama of the story. The lush performance here captures Vivaldi's insinuating melodies which are full of voluptuous ornamentation. The shimmering orchestral passages are complemented by vibrant choruses that mirror the dramatic shifts in Grazio Braccioli's treatment of Ariosto's eventful poem. His libretto manages to keep the essence of the story but deepens the humanity in blending epic history with the supernatural. Similar to Handel's "Alcina", Vivaldi depicts a set of lively gallery of characters with individualistic personalities in a fanciful plot that moves at a breakneck pace. At the center are two storylines that complement each other, the grand sweep of Orlando's madness and the tragedy of Alcina's downfall. In the title role as Charlemagne's nephew who falls deeply in love with Angelica, arguably the most dramatically challenging of the ensemble, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, a young contralto from Quebec, must make sense of the lovesick knight, and she does it with passionate delivery and a superb lower register. The richness of her tone is necessary to reflect Orlando's decline into dementia at the end of Act II and the series of "mad scene" monologues in Act III. As Alcina, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore brings an imperious tone and supple edge to the powerful but doomed sorceress, who suffers for her love of Astolfo and then of Ruggiero. Soprano Veronica Cangemi brings a lovely, ethereal quality to the role of Orlando's beloved Angelica. Bass-baritone Lorenzo Regazzo brings a palpable lushness to his vocally powerful characterization of Astolfo, and the proud female warrior Bradamante is sung by mezzo soprano Ann Hallenberg with stunning verve. As the valiant Ruggiero, rising countertenor Philippe Jaroussky is outstanding, and his arias provide the most poignant moments of this production He is particularly adept at blending his ethereal sound with all the very different voices of the other singers. Under the fluent direction of Baroque specialist Jean-Christophe Spinosi, the Ensemble Mateus proves expert in accommodating the variety of voices with instrumental nuance. If nothing else, this superb recording will introduce Vivaldi to a new generation unfamiliar with his dexterity in the Baroque genre.
Submitted by Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA, USA)
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 Great recording of a venetian premiere on 1727.
This studio recording was made in June 2004 in the Eglise Abbatiale de Daoulas in Bretagne, France. The score of Orlando Furioso preserved in autograph in the Giordano Collection in the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin, Italy. The original orchestration has been restored in its entirety, and the cast was chosen with the greatest respect for the specific musical and dramatic traits assigned by Antonio Vivaldi to each of his characters, this is a note of the libreto of this production made by Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Frédéric Delaméa. This is the second opera recorded by the maestro Spinosi with the Ensemble Matheus with authentic instruments, the first opera was La Veritŕ in cimento in 2002. This recording has an excellent quality and total playing time is 182 minutes and the entire libreto is in english, french and italian languages.
Submitted by indelec (Santiago de Chile) 
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