Velardi Frisani Chierichetti Ji Buratto Alessandro Stradella Consort - Cantatas & Serenatas 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Despite the many scandals in his life, Alessandro Stradella rose to a position of great eminence in Rome, where his music was consistently acclaimed. At a time when opera was often denigrated by the Papacy, Stradella's cantatas and serenatas proved enormously successful, their form housing a succession of recitatives, arias and instrumental pieces. The theme is the pain of love, to which Stradella responds with a limitless variety of expression and virtuosity, whether in the soprano echo effects of Arsi già di una fiamma, the near-operatic breadth of Or ch'alla dea notturna or the structural perfection of Infinite son le pene.

Mendelssohn - Church Music 2 [COMPACT DISCS] date 11/27/2001

In 1935, the German composer Hans Pfitzner wrote a rousing cello concerto for Rohan de Saram's teacher, Gaspar Cassade. with an abundance of irresistible qualities, the work possesses extraordinary richness and delight. There is an almost Chopin-like quality to the solo part and the orchestral accompaniment is reminiscent of Delius. A self-described anti-modernist, Pfitzner's best known work is the post-Romantic opera Palestrina, loosely based on the life of the great sixteenth-century composer. This recording, featuring de Saram accompanied by the Netherlands Radio Orchestra led by Bohumil Gregor, marks the work's first appearance on CD. The concerto is coupled with two Indian influenced chamber works by John Mayer, the Prabhanda for cello and piano and the Ragamalas for cello and tanpura.