Mariana Flores, Anna Reinhold, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon - Cavalli: Heroines of the Venetian Baroque (2015)

The opening of Venice’s first opera house, the Teatro di San Cassiano, in 1637, was one of the major events in the history of opera. The protagonists of these new operas henceforth represented all the social categories making up this public and who, in fact, had to be able to find themselves onstage. The gods were no longer the only ones to lay down the law, challenged by the Vices and Virtues who preached in the Prologues. The new heroes are kings, emperors, dictators, courtesans, as well as nurses, valets, soldiers, philosophers, and, above all, lovers. Whoever they might be, we find them sympathetic or antipathetic - all are glorified, all are ridiculed.
With his 27 existing operas, Francesco Cavalli gives us a fascinating version of this theatre of life. A single main thread runs through the excerpts drawn from each of them by Leonardo García Alarcón: the expression of human passions. They are all there, from ingenuousness to ecstasy, joy to anger, passionate love (and its erotic, sensual expression) to despair.
This fascinating programme represents a new contribution to the knowledge of Cavalli’s operas and helps unveil part of the mystery still surrounding his works.

Track List:

CD 1:
Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo (1639)
Atto II, Scena 11 / Venere (MF)
1. Mira questi duo lumi 5’44
2 violins, bass viol, violone, theorbo, 2 archlutes, harp, organ
Atto II, Scena 6
2. Sinfonia di viole a 5 1’40
2 violins, tenor, viol, bass viol, violone, theorbo, archlute (TD), harp
Atto I, Scena 3 / Teti (MF), Meleagro (AR)
3. Hor con pania e con esca 1’26
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, organ
Gli amori di Apollo e Dafne (1640)
Atto I, Scena 8 / Procri (MF)
4. Volgi, deh volgi il piede 7’57
theorbo, archlute (TD), harp, bass viol (FJC), organ
Didone (1641)
Atto II, Scena 2 / Iarba (AR), Didone (MF)
5. Didone, ohimè, non mi riceve amante 1’29
6. Re de’ Getuli altero 2’45
2 violins, theorbo, 2 archlutes, harp, organ, bass viol, violone
La virtù dei strali d’Amore (1642)
Atto I, Scena 3 / Eumete (MF)
7. Occhi per pianger nati 3’53
theorbo, archlute (TD), bass viol (FJC)
Egisto (1643)
Atto III, Scena 10 / Climene (MF)
8. Amanti, se credete 1’31
archlute (TD), guitar, bass viol (FJC), harpsichord
L’Ormindo (1644)
Atto I, Scena 3 / Nerillo (MF)
9. Aprite, aprite gl’occhi 0’45
archlute (TD), guitar (MP), cittern, harp, organ, bass viol (FJC), violone
La Doriclea (1645)
Atto I, Scena 6 / Eurinda (MF)
10. Udite, amanti 0’54
2 archlutes, guitar, bass viol (FJC)
Giasone (1649)
Atto I, Scena 15 / Medea (AR)
11. Dell’antro magico 5’19
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, regal, 2 violins, bass viol (FJC), percussions
Atto II, Scena 1 / Isifi le (MF)
12. Lamento: Lassa, che far degg’io? 6’46
archlute (TD), theorbo, bass viol (FJC), organ
Orimonte (1650)
Atto III, Scena 12 / [Cleanta, Ernesto]
13. Caro Ernesto / Mia Cleanta (instrumental version) 1’42
bass viol (FJC), archlute (TD), theorbo, harp
Oristeo (1651)
Atto I, Scena 4 / Diomeda (MF)
14. Dimmi Amor, che farò ? 3’32
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, bass viol (FJC)
La Rosinda (1651)
Atto I, Scena 7 / Nerea (MF)
15. Non col ramo di Cuma 2’26
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, bass viol, violone, 2 violins
La Calisto (1651)
Atto III, Scena 1 / Calisto (MF)
16. Restino imbalsamate 2’18
17. T’aspetto, e tu non vieni 2’46
2 archlutes, theorbo, bass viol (FJC), 2 violins
L’Eritrea (1652)
Prologo / Iride (MF)
18. Ne le grotte arimaspe 2’24
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, bass viol (FJC)
La Veremonda (1652)
Atto III, Scena 6 / Zemina (MF), Zaida (AR)
19. Tardano molto? 2’27
Qui si fa il ballo de’ tori*
20. Che rumori, che voci? 2’50
Qui se replica il ballo de’ tori*
2 archlutes, cittern, 2 violins, bass viol, violone, percussions
* Improvisations by Quito Gato (guitar) and Th omas Dunford (archlute)


CD 2:
L’Orione (1653)
Prologo
1. Sinfonia a 3 1’36
2 violins, bass viol, violone, 2 archlutes, theorbo, organ
Il Ciro (1654)
Atto III, Scena ultima /[Arpago, Cleopida, Emlira, Ciro]
2. Mia vita / Mio bene (instrumental version) 1’51
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, bass viol (FJC)
Xerse (1655)
Atto II, Scena, 18 / Adelante (MF)
3. Ed è pur vero, o core 1’45
archlute (TD), theorbo, harp, bass viol (SVO)
4. Luci mie, che miraste 4’01
archlute (TD), theorbo, harp, 2 violins, bass viol, violone
Erismena (1655)
Atto I, Scena 4 / Erismena (MF)
5. Speranze voi che siete 2’41
archlute (TD), harp, bass viol (SVO), 2 violins
Atto I, Scena 5 / Idraspe (AR), Erismena (MF)
6. O stelle, a che mi sforzate 1’43
theorbo, harp, organ, bass viol (FJC)
7. A me il veleno? 0’52
archlute (TD), harp, bass viol (SVO)
La Statira (1655)
Atto II, Scena 9 / Ermosilla (MF)
8. Menfi , mia patria, regno 3’28
archlute (TD), organ, bass viol (SVO), 2 violins
Artemisia (1657)
Atto II, Scena 6 / Eurillo (MF), Artemisia (AR), Echo
9. Regina, udiste mai 3’48
archlute (TD), cittern, harp
Hipermestra (1658)
Atto III, Scena 14 / Vafrino (MF)
10. Quest’è un gran caso al certo 3’04
2 archlutes, guitar (QG), bass viol (FJC)
Elena (1659)
Atto II, Scena 14 / Menelao (AR), Elena (MF)
11. Amazone non son 2’52
archlute (TD), theorbo, harp
Xerse
Atto II, Scena 1 / [Amastre]
12. Speranze, fermate (instrumental version) 4’08
treble viol, bass viol, 2 archlutes
Ercole Amante (1662)
Atto IV, Scena 7 / [ Jole, Dejanira, Licco]
13. Una stila di speme (instrumental version) 1’57
2 archlutes, theorbo, harp, 2 violins, bass viol, violone organ
Atto I, Scena 3 / Giunone (MF)
14. E vuol dunque Ciprigna 3’14
archlute, harp, harpsichord
15. Ma in amor ciò ch’altri fura 3’02
archlute, harp, 2 violins, tenor viol, 2 bass viols
Scipione aff ricano(1664)
Atto III, Scena 3 / [Ceff ea]
16. A tuo dispetto Amor (instrumental version) 1’41
archlute (TD), cittern, harp, bass viol, violone
Mutio Scevola (1665)
Atto I, Scena 7 / Elisa (MF), Valeria (AR)
17. Né fastosa allor che ride / Né dolente allor che freme 1’38
2 guitars, bass viol (FJC), percussions
Pompeo Magno (1666)
Atto I, Scena 17 / Giulia (MF)
18. Come al mar corrono i fi umi 2’07
archlute (TD), harp, organ, 2 violins, tenor viol, bass viol (SVO)
Eliogabalo (1667)
Atto III, Scena 2 / Eritea (MF)
19. Giuliano al tuo ferro 1’38
archlute (TD), theorbo, harp, harpischord, 2 violins, bass viol (SVO)
Atto III, Scena 15 / Alessandro, Gemmira, Eritea, Giuliano (MF, AR, MC, IC)
20. Pur ti stringo, pur t’annodo 2’16
archlute (TD), theorbo, harp, bass viol (SVO)


Performers:
CAPPELLA MEDITERRANEA
Mariana Flores: soprano
Anna Reinhold: mezzo-soprano
Monica Pustilnik: archlute & guitar
Marie Bournisien: harp
Quito Gato: theorbo, guitar & cittern
Th omas Dunford: archlute
François Joubert-Caillet: bass viol & treble viol
CLEMATIS
Stéphanie de Failly & Lathika Vithanage: violins
Jérôme Lejeune: tenor viol
Sarah Van Oudenhove: bass viol & violone
Th ierry Gomar: percussions
Leonardo García Alarcón: harpsichord, organ & direction
With the participation of
Marine Chaboud: soprano (CD II, 20)
Igor Tchernov: countertenor (CD II, 20)