Fully integrated with the musical line, the singers avoid melodrama through intimate, small gestures as if acting for screen, not stage.’ Gramophone Critics' Choice 2021 Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants conclude their exploration of this fascinating corpus. Even more than in his first books, Gesualdo here displays incredible modernity, playing in inimitable fashion on dissonances and chromaticisms. Love and death, joys and sorrows embrace and clash amid ever bolder harmonies.

Donna, che in ciel di tanta luce splendi is a full-length cantata and the masterpiece in this recital. The introductory Sinfonia captures attention imperatively with its grandeur and turbulence. Then the succession of recitatives and arias, unfailingly alive with dramatic imagination, provides superb opportunities for the singer, all of which are taken here with well-grounded eagerness.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, far from the cities of the historical performance mainstream, Apollo's Fire is an innovative, popular, and critically acclaimed group devoted to repertory from the Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical eras. Typically, Apollo's Fire has a subscription concert schedule consisting of five to seven programs yearly, with each concert performed several times over a three- or four-day period. In addition, the group regularly tours throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Offering the kind of freethinking that develops best when it's far from established scenes, Apollo's Fire continues to push historical performance in new directions. Most of its recordings have achieved both impressive sales and critical plaudits, recording with greater frequency since the turn of the new century. In 2022, Apollo's Fire issued a live recording taken from 2018 and 2020 of Jeannette Sorrell's O Jerusalem! City of Three Faiths.

There are few World film composers that can boast the prolificacy of Piero Piccioni. Since the early 1950s Piccioni has been a truly innovative composer of film music. In the 1950s he composed under the pseudonym of Piero Morgan, and since his first soundtrack Il Mondo Le Condanna of 1952, many directors sought Piero Piccioni to score the soundtracks for their films: Luchino Visconti, Bernardo Bertolucci, Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Elio Petri, Francesco Rosi, Mario Monicelli, Alberto Lattuada, Alberto Sordi, Luigi Comencini, Antonio Pietrangeli, Lina Wertmuller, Tinto Brass, Dino Risi, are just some of the great directors for whom he scored more than 300 wondrous soundtracks. Swept Away, Le Mani sulla città’, Camille 2000, Colpo Rovente, The 10th Victim, Amore mio aiutami, More Than a Miracle, The Light at the Edge of the World, Puppet on a Chain, Lucky Luciano, Cristo si è Fermato a Eboli, Anna Karenina, Finché c’è guerra c’è speranza, Viaggio con papà, Fumo di Londra are just a few gems among many more. With great versatility, Piccioni incorporates jazz, funk, fusion, bossa, classical and contemporary 20th Century symphonic elements into his kaleidoscopic sounds which have been the lush sonic backdrop for everything from psychedelic, political, thriller, horror, romantic, comedy, western, classic novel adaptations, mythological, historic and epic film productions of the golden age of Italian and international cinema spanning four decades.

Georg Friedrich Händel wrote musical history with his operas. In his chosen domicile, London, he had to fight off italian competition, but having already studied their style in Rome he was well-equipped to mount the most important of the world's stages.

Hungarian conductor Pál Németh seems to be starting a series of larger-sacred works by Viennese composer Antonio Caldara. Coming on the heels of his Paschal work La passion di Gesù Cristo , likewise on Hungaroton, this particular oratorio features something that should resonate in Budapest, since it focuses on King Stephen, the country’s patron saint. Regardless of the subject matter, however, the work conforms to the typical Italian oratorio of the early 18th century, that is to say, a sacred mirror of the opera seria consisting of a series of da capo arias following recitatives.

Italian cinematic funk legends Calibro 35 are always in search of new territories to venture into. Their new journey is called ‘Jazzploitation’: a new EP paying tribute to jazz-funk, rare groove and pshychedelic cinematic-jazz, to be released next October 18th on digital platforms via Record Kicks and on limited edition clear vinyl 7".

Diverse è un progetto musicale carico di emozione e romanticismo. Ornella Vanoni, una delle voci più iconiche della musica italiana, torna a far brillare alcune delle sue canzoni più amate, ricantandole oggi e reinterpretandole con un nuovo spirito, guidato dalle sonorità contemporanee che strizzano l’occhio alla disco anni '70 e all'electro.

Antonio Caldara’s (1670-1736) pastoral fable L’Amor Non Ha Legge (Love has no laws) was a commission by the wealthy Johann Adam Questenberg. Its characters portray shepherds, nymphs, fantasy figures and gods. Although written for a local cast, the music looks forward to the more complex structures and musical technicalities of Mozart. It took Caldara two weeks to compose this extraordinary work. It occupies three CDs and Arta add a bonus All Region DVD with highlights from Caldara’s opera and other recent productions at Questenberg’s Baroque mansion.

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."

Considered by many as being one of the best expressions of Italian progressive music. After have been known at the Festival Be-In of Naples (June 1973), they recorded one single album with the same band name, released by Trident, revealing great musical passages mainly using synthesizers. Their debut is considered a small jewel, blending symphonic prog with hard rock. Influences range from Gentle Giant, to Jethro Tull and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso.

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).

The most comprehensive edition devoted to Gioacchino Rossini marking his 150th anniversary. Born in 1792, Rossini was the most popular opera composer of his time. Although he retired from the Opera scene in 1829, he continued to compose in other genres, including sacred music, piano and chamber works. He did gather his late works under the ironic title Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age), which veils a true collection of masterworks.

This is one of the most essential prog classic to adorn any prog lovers collection. This is pure progressive magic from start to finish. Based on the life of Bach, Il Rovescio Della Medaglia create a dream-like environment to tell the story from. Lyrics are in Italian and the musicianship is exceptional throughout. RDM deliver a wide contrast in moods and atmosphere here ranging from the pure and serene to loud crashing of guitars and synths. Orchestration is obviously filtered throughout and work very well for the listener making this a real gem all the way around. This is beautiful Italian tension building prog at its finest.

Passion Jaroussky marks 20 years since Philippe Jaroussky made his professional debut and commenced his rapid ascent to stardom. As the French countertenor says, “Even after all these years, my passion for music is undimmed.” Ranging musically from the 16th to the 21st century, the triple album comprises both new recordings and highlights from recent albums, and it also showcases Jaroussky’s collaborations with a host of major singers – from the worlds of both classical music and pop – instrumentalists, conductors and orchestras.