Les deux chasseurs et la laitiere, a one-act opera by Egidio Romualdo Duno (1708-1775), was premiered in Paris by the company of Theatre de Comediens Italiens, in July 1763. This work, staged then many times at the Opera Comique, was soon published and its popularity among European theatres reached its peak between the 1780s and the beginning of the 19th century. The opera is written in the Galant Style: small size, fast-paced action, sharp sense of humour, amusing spoken dialogues and, above all, very light and cleverly written music, made this piece one of the most popular operas not only in Paris of the time. The libretto is based on two fables by De La Fontaine, ingeniously combining two plots involving two hunters and a milk jug. This is a vibrant performance on period instruments by the Accademia dell’Arcadia from the Polish Poznan, featuring three excellent young Polish vocal soloists. Conductor is Early music specialist Roberto Balconi, who has already issued successful recordings on Brilliant Classics.

Donizetti was prolific in the field of vocal chamber music, to the extent that he almost rivaled Rossini. Nuits d'�t� � Pausillippe is an album of ariettas, romanzas, notturnos and duettinos published in 1836. The texts speak of four seasons and three cities, but it's Naples that takes the lead role: Donizetti lived and worked in the city between 1822 and 1838. Mostly authored by local poets, the texts are essentially simple portraits of things Italian: the boatman, the breath of the beloved, and the tower of Biasone (which ends with one of Donizetti's most disarming tunes). Le cr�puscule (Twilight), however, sets verses by Victor Hugo as a romanza describing the new dawn, and continues with the lover's door that is closed. While Posillipo (Pausilippe) is a hillside overlooking the bay of Naples, Infrascata is a steep road leading from the city centre to another hillside, that of the Vomero. The frontispiece of the first edition of Soir�es d'autumne � l'Infrascata indicates it was intended as a sequel to the earlier collection. Here the tone is more overtly ardent, not least in the Neapolitan barcarola Me voglio fa 'na casa (I'd Like to Have a House) which has been a popular recital item for many great singers. The complete collection is far less often heard, and recorded, lending considerable rarity value to this new recording. It is led by the soprano Letizia Calandra, a specialist in Neapolitan repertoire.

No serious opera collection is complete without Don Giovanni, one of the most popular and performed operas in history and to this day. This CD release marks the completion of conductor Kuijken's Mozart/Da Ponte trio of recordings - a cycle which develop his distinct style of loving attention to detail - all with a fresh, young, energetic cast of soloists.

All three composers gathered together on this unique compilation were active in Vienna in the last half of the 18th century, and all had mastered the craft of writing music for pleasure - as much in the playing as the listening - rather than devotion or edification. They were also expert string players - Dittersdorf and Vanhal formed the other two members of a famous 'composers' quartet' that included Joseph Haydn (younger brother to Michael) and Mozart - and so wrote these divertimentos from the inside, as it were. The Divertimenti included in the album were composed in the 1760s. They are all fairly brief, multi-movement pieces, easy on the ear and of fairly simple construction, with the first violin taking the lion's share of the melody. However, a little closer listening will reveal many small refinements in the secondary parts (viola e violone), which not only support the main part, but interact with it in lively musical conversation: an inter-instrumental dialogue which is particularly emphasized in this recording. Michael Haydn's C major Divertimento P.110 has the most conventional, four-movement structure, whereas Vanhal's symmetrical design encloses a lovely Adagio within a pair of minuets, a free-flowing first movement and a syncopated finale bristling with energy and high spirits. The six trios by Dittersdorf are all two-movement pieces, pairing a quick introduction with a gentler minuet. The common but unusual element to the scoring of all the music on this album is the absence of cello in the basso continuo role, which is written down the octave to be played by a violone or double bass. This often creates a gruff or humorous character - especially in Michael Haydn's Divertimento - but Vanhal in particular requires a musician of agility to zip up and down the instrument and writes for it as a deeper cello.

These songs for one and two voices come from the first four of D'India's five books of Musiche, a series containing masterpieces of astonishing originality in the style of monody (solo melody with accompaniment), which had eclipsed the polyphonic madrigal in popularity at the dawn of the 17th century. With a career based largely in Turin and Rome, Sigismondo D'India nevertheless demonstrates stylistic links to both Monteverdi and Gesualdo, and it is the latter's influence which supports new scholarship claiming D'India grew up in Naples (not Sicily) in the shadow of the great madrigalist's free thinking on harmony. That very harmonic freedom - to accentuate key emotions in the text with piquant chord changes - is the hallmark of D'India's own, self-styled 'true manner' of composing monody, adopted from Gesualdo's intense, chromatic polyphony to the solo song or duet, and it suggests a Neapolitan, rather than Roman-Florentine, musical background. In D'India's own words, he uses 'intervals out of the ordinary, moving with the greatest invention from one consonance to the next, depending on the variety of the meaning of the words' for 'greater impact and greater power to move the emotions of the soul'. It is this sense for the dramatic power of song that positions D'India as a true proto-operatic composer. In fact, his three-part setting of Clorinda's death scene from Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata (Amico hai vinto) predates by several years that of his contemporary Monteverdi: the revolutionary Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Perhaps the young D'India's wide travels across Italy, absorbing the musical styles at each locale and acquiring a broad grasp of the varied stylistic practices throughout the peninsula in the early Baroque, gave him the conviction to claim his own style as the 'true manner'. In any case, it's originality and vision are truly remarkable.

The 'living Baroque' idiom of Federico Maria Sardelli has been extensively documented on Brilliant Classics, with albums of concertos (BC94749), cantatas (BC95068) and harpsichord music (BC95488) that have advanced the reputation of this modern composer and scholar and won international attention, with 5-star reviews in Diapason and elsewhere. Now Sardelli turns his imagination to the genre of the trio sonata that exemplified chamber music-making in the Baroque era. The collection of six presented here divides into two sub-genres, of the church sonatas (Nos. 2, 4, 5) and chamber sonata (Nos. 1, 3, 6) which would have been heard in a domestic, albeit aristocratically appointed, context. Sardelli makes passing and subtle allusions to poignant melancholy (in the Larghetto of the First Sonata), to an infernal rhythmic impulse (the second movement of the Fifth), to more profound meditations on mortality (such as the Adagio without bass of the Third), and even to declarations of love (the opening of the Sixth) - though the subject of Sardelli's affection is surely Vivaldi himself. According to the composer, this is not Baroque pastiche. Rather, as a noted scholar of Vivaldi, he seeks to recreate such music in his own image with music of the present which 'regains it's own original language and adheres to it's own original criteria, expressing vibrant new ideas that are in keeping with it's identity.' It would be quite possible to think that the trio sonatas here had been written with a goose quill in 17th-century Venice, but they are by no means dry exercises in imitation. Rather they are full of an authentically Venetian vibrancy and color from any age, sparkling with a variety of knowing brilliance that belongs to the temperamental character of the city. The performances here are given by musicians who have long worked with Sardelli in his Modo Antiquo ensemble which has made highly praised recordings of 'real' Vivaldi as well as Sardelli.

Der Rosenkavalier is one of Strauss’ best known operas. Set in Vienna during the early years of the Empress Maria Theresa’s reign, the work takes the form of a comedy in 3 acts, set to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It bears a strong resemblance in terms of plot to Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and is written in a different vein to Strauss’s preceding avant-gardist creations, something the composer, appearing to have succumbed to popular taste, was heavily criticized for.

After setting three of his friend Pierre Lou�s's 1894 prose poems in Les Chansons de Bilitis, Debussy was asked by him to provide incidental music for a mimed recitation of another 12 poems. A single performance was given on 7 February 1901, after rehearsals of which Lou�s wrote: 'I'm spending every afternoon with naked women. It's nice.' The poems were spoofs on those by Sappho, supposedly a friend of the non-existent Bilitis, and a review praised the music as 'ingeniously archaic'. Debussy's scoring evokes the imagined sound of ancient Greece: the two flutes represent the aulos, associated with satyrs and the Dionysian cult; and the two harps speak for the kythara, associated with Apollo. Interwoven with the music is the bright sound of the celesta, the metal instrument patented by Auguste Mustel in 1886 that constitutes a meeting point between the Apollonian and the Dionysian. The missing celesta part of the incidental music, no doubt taken by Debussy himself, was recreated by Arthur Ho�r�e. In 1914 Debussy reworked passages of the music in his �pigraphes antiques for piano duet. Although the Chansons and the Epigraphes have often been recorded, they are very rarely recorded together with the incidental music, making this new album a uniquely cohesive and attractive album presenting Debussy at his most sensuous and Orientalist. There is a postlude to the album which continues it's theme with Syrinx for solo flute, Debussy's dreamy evocation of the god Pan that also had it's origins in music for the stage. Distinguished Italian musicians have joined forces to form the Magadis Ensemble. The ensemble's flexible line-up and wide repertoire focuses on vocal and instrumental chamber music by 20th- and 21st-century composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Dallapiccola and Scelsi.

One of the greatest organists of the Risorgimento, Padre Davide da Bergamo (1791-1863) was an organ music pioneer whose immense output is thought to have included over 2,000 organ works and more than 500 sacred choral pieces. + This 2CD selection of his works, including first recordings of his six sonatas and sinfonias, demonstrate his predilection for the colorful timbre and lyricism of the organ, an instrument then going through immense change. + For maximum effect, Marco Ruggeri has specially chosen two organs constructed during the composer’s lifetime to perform these pieces.

Played by the right hands, the astonishing freshness of invention of Scarlatti’s sonatas emerges with no less brilliance on the piano than his intended harpsichord. So why not the organ, too? In fact, Scarlatti probably intended only three of his 555 surviving keyboard sonatas specifically for an organ. Yet even on the instruments of his own time, in churches and chapels across Europe and especially his native Italy and adopted home of Spain, the palette of colors offered by a well-appointed organ brings these vibrantly colored works to life without any fear of them being obscured by clouds of bass pedal or resonance. Organist Nicola Reniero explains that his selection of 19 sonatas concentrates on particularly intricate or individual examples of polyphony and fugue where the organ’s diversity of register and color may be thought to excel. He does so, however, without neglecting the principle that in Scarlatti’s music almost everything is vocal and theatrical: the introduction is like the curtain that rises; the themes are the characters, and the various sections of the piece are like scenes of a wordless drama. Reniero has chosen to avoid the kind of echo effects which would be a conventional way to introduce contrast between phrases: “I have tried instead to emphasize the originality of the harmonies or the characters of famous themes.” The album closes with the most spectacular of all Scarlatti’s fugues, K417 in D minor. It is a stunning piece not only on account of the frenzied finale and the unexpected change of scene that comes about halfway through the piece, but above all for the boundless energy that pervades it throughout. For this new recording, Reniero plays the organ of the Duomo di Desenzano in the town of Garda, a two-manual instrument first reconstructed by the Serassi Brothers and then restored and partially rebuilt by Marco Fratti in 2014.

Today’s conception of bel canto is mainly founded on the beautiful and brilliant virtuoso arias of La Sonnambula, L’Elisir d’Amore, and the like; this recording introduces another, much lesser-known facet: bel canto da camera. Ariettas by two Italian 19th c. composers Mauro Giuliani and Girolamo Crescentini, neither counted among ‘bel canto’ greats such as Bellini and Donizetti, reveal the “subtlety of the human soul much more deeply,” argue the artists, “than in the brightest operas arias.”

Fran�ois Couperin (1689-1755) 'Couperin le Grand' was a master of the Baroque era, and this release offers us a fresh recording his chef-d'oeuvres: the harpsichord trios. Couperin was born into a musical family. He followed in his father's footsteps as organist at the Saint-Gervais Church in Paris, and before long his musical talent led him to the court of King Louis XIV. His appointment as court musician introduced him to a network of composers, with whom he regularly corresponded and shared ideas. Johann Sebastian Bach, for example, greatly admired his volumes of harpsichord music. L'Apoth�ose de Lully and L'Apoth�ose de Corelli open this set and are among the earliest examples of programme music. The former is dedicated to Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) who had defined the sound of French Baroque music, while L'Apoth�ose de Corelli pays homage to the Italian virtuoso, Antonio Corelli (1653-1713). The pieces depict the esteemed composers reaching the summit of Mount Parnassus. Then, guided by the God Apollo, they merge the French and Italian styles. Relations between Italy and France had soured following the Spanish War of Succession and the scramble to claim new territory, but Couperin's piece favors integration over individualism, as each composer's style compliments the other, raising the music to divine greatness. Les Nations follows in this vein, as it draws influence from both styles, featuring Corelli-inspired forms with alternating slow and quick tempos as opposed to the French-style suites of dances. It was dedicated to France, Spain, the German Empire and to Piedmont, part of the newly reformed Kingdom of Sardinia. In the wider context, Couperin's music is tinged with political ideology as he paints a picture of harmony flourishing from European unity. Couperin's pioneering music has inspired composers for generations; a century after his death, Johannes Brahms was programming Couperin's keyboard works on his concerts, and Maurice Ravel paid homage to the composer in Le tombeau de Couperin.

It may be pure coincidence, but in 1626, it was two enlightened intellectuals from Seville - artist Diego Velazquez and composer Francisco Correa de Arauxo, who stood out for their ability to portray a microcosm of human emotions in their work. The surviving body of Correa's work, the Facultad organica, was published in 1626. For it's time it remains a remarkably forward-looking collection. It is especially notable for the dissonant harmonies which Correa, as a cleric as well as a composer, aimed to evoke for his listeners the hardships facing them on their path towards a longed-for paradise. Francesco Cera has made an album of highlights from the Facultad organica. The original volume opened with a collection of tientos, organised as a collection following the 12 modern modes - an exceptional practice in Spanish keyboard music. The first tiento was a calling-card for Correa, revealing his skill at counterpoint by employing thematic inversion and experimenting with different types of imitative technique. Interleaved with the dance-like, freely elaborated tientos are the glosas, which exploit still more virtuosic possibilities of rhythm and color - Correa himself was evidently a distinguished performer. The result is a collection of still little-known yet dazzling music that will attract the attention of all organ-music enthusiasts. Francesco Cera has made significant contributions to the Brilliant Classics library of 17th-century keyboard music. Among them are albums dedicated to d'Anglebert and an imaginative compilation of Gabrieli, Cabezon and Frescobaldi, 'The Organ at European Courts'.

In this release we dive headfirst into 17th-century Northern Germany, a time of innovation and experimentation in music for the organ. As these imposing instruments were installed in cathedrals across Europe, the repertoire flourished. Three composers grace this set: Delphin Strungk, his son Nicolaus Adam Strungk and Peter Mohrhardt, and their musical output sheds light on the transition period between the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Delphin Strungk opens the set with an organ arrangement of a motet by Orlando di Lasso, a pioneer of the polyphonic style. Strungk was a highly respected organist and took up several posts during his lifetime including one as the court organist in Celle. His performances won him international acclaim and academics from across the continent would come to hear him play. Magnificat noni toni was a favourite of Duke Rudolph Augustus, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenb�ttel, who often came to Braunschweig to watch him play. Strungk explores the potential of the instrument and uses special echo effects in several pieces. It's a technique also employed by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and it's possible Strungk was one of his pupils. Peter Mohrhardt moved in the same musical circles as Strungk but fewer of his compositions have survived, all of which are included here. His pieces reflect the influence of Sweelinck and Scheidemann, including echo effects, for example. However his music is also forward-looking, and the arrangements feature a highly ornamented cantus firmus, while the chorale fantasias show off the virtuosity of the performer, typical of Baroque keyboard music. Nicolaus Adam Strungk was active at the same time as Mohrhardt. As the son of Delphin Strungk, he grew up under the guidance of his father and was employed by various members of the nobility, later performing for the emperor Leopold I. As the most modern composer of the three, technological advancements in organ building, such as the introduction of tempered tunings, allowed the composer to experiment with new tonalities. Admired by J.S. Bach, Strungk was influenced by Arcangelo Corelli, whom he met in Rome in 1685. This was the same year that Strungk learned of the death of his mother, inspiring his Ricercar sopra la morte della mia carissima Madre, whose melancholy melody bears clear signs of the Italian master's influence.

Classical Music