Lamentations or tenebrae were composed for the Matins services of Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Holy Week but were sung on the preceding evening. Each service consisted of three nocturnes and each nocturne was divided into three lessons. The Lamentations of Jeremiah were always sung during the three lessons of the first nocturne of each service. That makes nine tenebrae in all. Scarlatti however, set to music only six of them, all of which are sung on this new release. Five of the Lamentations are for soprano and the remaining one for tenor.

The booklet for this fine disc from Montreal includes a wonderful characterization of Alessandro Scarlatti's music, especially of the cantatas recorded here. "His music's eloquence," wrote French pedagogue Ennemond Trillat, "does not implore; it stems from that spiritual intoxication which is the very essence of the Baroque. And this music sings without phraseology. It is free of all extrinsic intent, and its lyricism produces perfect forms. Its fluid grace is essentially melodic, but without a trace of exuberance."

Mahan Esfahani veröffentlicht sein Debütalbum “Time Present and Time Past”, und damit erscheint auch die erste Cembalo Veröffentlichung bei Deutsche Grammophon seit über 30 Jahren! Sein Album, das maßgeblich durch Gedichte von T.S. Elliot inspiriert wurde, vereint Barockmusik von Bach und Corelli mit minimalistischen Klängen von Komponisten wie Reich und Gorecki. Mit seinen eingängigen Interpretationen begeistert Esfahani nicht nur seine Zuhörer für das historische Tasteninstrument, durch die Begleitung des “Concerto Köln”, einem auf historische Aufführungspraxis spezialisierten Orchester, gelingt es ihm, die Musik besonders authentisch wirken zu lassen.

In the year 2009 Daniela Dolci discovered an interesting opera with obbligato cornett arias in the Austrian National Library that had been listed as a work by Giacomo Perti; with her ensemble Musica Fiorita, she gave concertante performances of the arias of the protagonists Rosinda and Emireno. After this, it turned out that not Perti, but Alessandro Scarlatti is the composer of this opera. The opera, premiered in Naples in 1697, is set in the city of Memphis in an idealised Egypt. The plot - as is usual for operas of this period - is quite intricate and complicated. Various love relationships and hardships connect the protagonists, with the conflict over the Egyptian throne being argued out at the same time. The arias are musically appealing, especially due to the use of a cornett (played by Bork-Frithjof Smith with virtuosity and beauty of tone).

La Santissima Annunziata est un oratorio d'Alessandro Scarlatti, écrit pour solistes (SSSAT) cordes et basse continue, créé à Rome au Palazzo della Cancelleria en 1700 ou 1703, sur un livret italien de Pietro Ottoboni.
Présenté pour la première fois le 3 avril 1700 au Palazzo della Cancelleria de Rome (résidence du cardinal) et repris postérieurement, au moins dans autres deux occasions : le 1er avril 1703 et le 25 mars 1708 (palazzo Ruspoli). Le fait qu'une annonce de la représentation de 1700 attribue la responsabilité de la musique à Giovanni Lorenzo Lulier, musicien attaché à Ottoboni, a fait douter sur le véritable auteur de celle-ci.

The soprano Jennifer Vyvyan was taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London by Roy Henderson, coach of Kathleen Ferrier. With Henderson’s help she formed a secure technique, and quickly won acclaim for both operatic and oratorio roles in a wide variety of repertoire. Best known now as a singer favoured by Benjamin Britten, Vyvyan was also a leading figure in the revival of Baroque repertory: a celebrated interpreter of Purcell, Rameau, Bach and Handel who starred in landmark 1950s/60s reappraisals of the Handel operas at Sadlers Wells, Covent Garden and elsewhere.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields was founded in 1959 by Sir Neville Marriner and a group of London’s leading orchestral players. Originally formed as a small conductorless string group, it spearheaded the 1950’s Baroque revival.

Alessandro Scarlatti wrote a huge number of chamber cantatas – about 600, in fact – most of which are, like the five delightful examples on this disc, for solo voice. These ones are sung by countertenor Brian Asawa with stylish support from members of the Arcadian Academy, who provide varying types of accompaniment, sometimes with continuo alone, at other times with a larger instrumental colloquium. Only one of the five cantatas here, Clori vezzosa, e bella, is written for voice and basso continuo throughout, the others calling for two violins and, on occasion, viola. The first work in the programme is the most elaborate of the group with its three-movement instrumental introduction and four each of alternating recitatives and arias.

Seux génies du baroque italien à la filiation évidente et dont la musique emplit églises, palais et théâtres du Royaume napolitain au début du XVIIIè siècle sont ici réunis : Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725) et Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736).

With her almost supernaturally clear and agile soprano, Emma Kirkby has enchanted audiences ever since she first appeared on the Early Music scene in the 1970s. And as the art of historically informed performance has become more and more widely appreciated, so has her style of singing, to the extent that she in 2007 was included in a listing of ‘the 20 greatest sopranos ever’ made by the BBC Music Magazine. Throughout her career, Emma Kirkby has made a large number of recordings of a wide range of music. Released on the occasion of her 60th birthday, the present collection celebrates her collaboration with BIS, which has resulted in ten discs to date.

These performances received Gramophone's "Recording of the Month" award for June 1997, as well as a 1998 Gramophone "Critic's Choice" award.

Roberto Tigani directs Orchestra dell'Accademia Romana "Arcangelo Corelli" and soprano Claudia Toti in a performance of three rarely recorded Italian sacred works.
The manuscript for the mass by Scarlatti was discovered in the 1950s in the archives of the Roman basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. It brings to eleven his surviving masses. It is the only know copy and lacks both the Benedictus and the Angus Dei.

Giuditta is based on the Biblical story of Judith, a beautiful Israelite widow who insinuates herself within the camp of the conquering Assyrian tribe and deceives their general, Holofernes, before decapitating him and carrying off his head in triumph. This is the second version of the oratorio, known as the Cambridge version after the location of the manuscript when it was turned up in modern times. Scarlatti had considered the original version, composed for Rome in 1693, to be his finest oratorio. This is no mean assessment from the composer of masterworks which have been more celebrated in our own time such as La Maddalena, for their expressive pathos and superbly grateful vocal lines.

Over 60 operas and 700 cantatas, 35 oratorios, masses and motets (to cite only his vocal music) define a musical career that lasted almost 50 years: and yet the process of discovery and appreciation of the music of Alessandro Scarlatti is far from complete.
This CD pays homage to the musical art of one the greatest Italian composers of all time. Renata Fusco sings with great charm, passion and style. Worth checking out.

A delightfull combination of well chosen program materials and expert recording techniques. Sabrina Frey and her companion musicians are top notch performers that serve a concert with well worked ensemble and group interplay.
I found the playing of Sabrina Frey most interesting. She commands her recorder with consumate skill. The works played (including 2 premières) are by Scarlatti, Sieber, Corelli, Valentini, Bononcini, and Marcello. Masters of the baroque form.