Dankner / Minchew / Stillabower / Villalta - Vide Supra - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Italian composers of the seventeenth century, living at the time of Galileo, were at the forefront of a musical revolution that offers some surprising analogies with the birth of the modern scientific method. Just as Galileo with his telescope was able to observe the sky and discover new celestial objects, so the musicians of the time strove to fathom the depths of the human soul with their wind and bowed or plucked string instruments. Each 'affetto' or emotion was made to correspond to a musical phrase constructed according to the 'Stil Moderno.' This style was often somewhat unpredictable, which is why it is still so fascinating for today's listeners. Instruments thus came to dominate the musical scene, eliciting as much excitement and wonder as singers thanks to the skill of virtuoso players and music that was written specifically for them sonatas, canzonas, sinfonias, diminutions, ballets, etc. Il Ricercar Continuo tackles this extraordinary repertory with an exemplary selection of pieces that demonstrate the remarkable creativity typical of Italian instrumental music during the seventeenth century. The three musicians are highly versatile, playing nine different instruments, including dulcians, recorders of different sizes, lute, archlute and cello.

The city of Antwerp could well have shared the title of European capital of music with Venice during the 16th century. Whilst there was a great amount of sacred and secular music performed in the city, Antwerp's manufacturers of harpsichord and virginals, the Ruckers family in particular, boasted a vast number of clients throughout Europe. The city's music printers and publishers, led by Tielman Susato and Pierre Phalèse, also enjoyed an international reputation. La Caccia has drawn upon works published by them to compile this programme that displays the richness and the variety of music in Antwerp during the Renaissance.

Donizetti was prolific in the field of vocal chamber music, to the extent that he almost rivaled Rossini. Nuits d'été à 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 crépuscule (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 Soirées d'autumne à 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. Album Tracks 1. Barcaiuolo. Barcarolle 2. Crociato. Romance 3. Mezzanotte. Ariette 4. Torre Di Biasone. Ballade 5. Conocchia. Chanson Napolitaine 6. Crepuscule. Romance 7. Giuramento. Nocturne a Deux Voix 8. Aurora. Nocturne a Deux Voix 9. Alito Di Bice. Nocturne a Deux Voix 11. Guardo Ed Una Voce. Nocturne a Deux Voix 13. Lontananza. Arietta 14. Amante Spagnuolo. Bolero 18. Incostanza Di Irene. (Saria Più Fida Irene) Duettino