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Review
Death by chocolate sounds more like the kind of demise to be found within the pages of a Roald Dahl tale than the stuff of real life. However, if we're to believe the legend that's exactly how the celebrated Neapolitan composer Leonardo Vinci met his end in 1730.
The story goes that the composer let slip that he had enjoyed intimate relations with a noblewoman, and thus provoked one of her relatives into poisoning his cup of chocolate by means of revenge. Accurate or not, it's certainly a larger-than-life cause of death, and this recording of his final opera is almost as attention-grabbing.
Not so much for the fact that it's a world premiere (frankly, it's hard to get excited about world premieres when the classical market now groans under the weight of them), but for its all-male cast made up of five counter-tenors and one tenor – a necessity thanks to a papal decree of the time which banned women from appearing on the stages of Rome's theatres. This recording features the brilliant countertenors Philippe Jaroussky and Max Emanuel Cenčić.
Vinci's chief gift to the early 18th century operatic world was accompaniments that supported and showcased the vocal lines, rather than the norm of distractingly dense harmonic and instrumental structures. Admittedly, for us with our 21st century ears, it's hard to hear this with the fresh delight that his original audiences must have done.
Still, it's less hard to hear why Arteserse is considered to be Vinci's masterpiece. Composed for the Roman carnival of 1730 to a libretto by Metastasio, Vinci's intention was that it would dazzle. Vigorously rhythmic and highly dramatic, the opera has extraordinary energy, and some beautiful moments. This recording brings this all out, partly through the cracking tempi set by Diego Fasolis, partly through Concerto Köln's effervescent, historically informed performance, and partly through the sheer energy of the cast.
--Charlotte Gardner
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Product Description
VIR 6028692; VIRGIN - Italia; Classica Lirica
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am becoming quite a fan of Leonardo Vinci, having discovered him via a couple of arias courtesy of Simone Kermes and Cecilia Bartoli, then a disc of lovely cantatas and a live recording of his opera 'La Partenope'. The present recording of his last opera 'Artaserse' is something really special however. Here we have five countertenors (two singing female roles) and a tenor to complete the cast. Generally speaking, I tend to prefer mezzo sopranos to countertenors BUT a really splendid cast has been assembled here and all the soloists are really excellent. Probably my favourite amongst them is Franco Fagioli in the role of the hapless Arbace - his is a glorious, velvety voice and I was delighted to see another reviewer here comparing it to that of Cecilia Bartoli because I had exactly the same thought! Coming a close second is Max Cencic who manages to sound convincingly feminine as his lover Mandane. Another terrific voice is that of Yuriy Mynenko as the general Megabise - a talent to watch. Although Philippe Jaroussky is probably supposed to be the main draw (as his image in on the cover) he is actually one of my least favourite voices on the recording although he does rattle of the coloratura amazingly well. The fifth countertenor, Valer Barna-Sabadus has a lovely, smooth if slightly bland voice. I felt all five voices were different enough to differentiate between on a first listen through. Completing the line up, Daniel Behle's fine tenor makes a welcome contrast of tone and he is searingly dramatic as the semi-villain Artabano.
Diego Fasolis is fast becoming one of favourite conductors of baroque music and he leads Concerto Koln in an exciting, dramatic account of what is a very fine score. There are some truly wonderful arias here. Perhaps there is none of the sheer beauty and dramatic truth so often found in Handel's operas but, wow there is some breathtaking stuff here - frightening coloratura, energetic strings and plenty for the trumpets and drums to do! This is a splendid recording and should be missed by no fan of baroque opera.
Diego Fasolis is fast becoming one of favourite conductors of baroque music and he leads Concerto Koln in an exciting, dramatic account of what is a very fine score. There are some truly wonderful arias here. Perhaps there is none of the sheer beauty and dramatic truth so often found in Handel's operas but, wow there is some breathtaking stuff here - frightening coloratura, energetic strings and plenty for the trumpets and drums to do! This is a splendid recording and should be missed by no fan of baroque opera.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Grady Harp
Format:Audio CD
The story of Artaserse as written in libretto by Metastasio is the tale of a Persian King Artaxeres. Though there are over 40 known settings of Metastasio's text, the libretto was first set by Leonardo Vinci (1690-1730) in 1730 for Rome. And it is this setting of the perils of the Persian King that is featured in this rather amazing showcase of countertenors from around the world. The text was also set by such composers as Gluck, JC Bach, Hasse, Galuppi, Myslivicek and Arne, but it is the original setting that gathers the most historic musical attention.
The opera is a string of florid pearls - arias so complex yet so penetratingly beautiful that it would seem after this recording that opera houses will begin to pay attention to the work. Of interest a French scholar, Charles de Brosses, wrote 10 years after Vinci's death from poisoning, `Vinci is the Lully of Italy: true, simple, natural, expressive, writing in the most beautiful, uncontrived way for the voice ... Artaserse has a reputation as his finest work, and one of Metastasio's finest too ... It is the most famous Italian opera.' And that is fine preparation for the performance captured here.
Diego Fasolis conducts the Concerto Cologne in a completely authentic manner. At the time of the composition of Artasere, a papal decree banned women from appearing on the stages of the city's theatres, so the entire cast was male, with the female roles sung by castrati. This recording not only recognizes that bit of significant history, it honors it with the challenge of single-sex casting with a spectacular line-up of fine countertenors from around the world: Croatian-born Max Emanuel Cencic, the Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky, the Argentine Franco Fagioli, Romanian Valer Barna-Sabadus and Yuriy Mynenko from the Ukraine. The sole tenor in the recording is the German Daniel Behle.
In addition to the beauties of the music both for orchestra and for singers that this fascinating work offers is the opportunity to hear the various comparisons of the differences in the qualities of vocal production of these five countertenors. Each voice in unique with some more florid in the upper range and others more dramatic in the lower - alto - range. In the end each of these gifted men is able to create a wholly credible character while at the same time offering some of the most thrilling examples of the gift of countertenor vocal production. This is a dazzling success of a recording! Grady Harp, October 12
The opera is a string of florid pearls - arias so complex yet so penetratingly beautiful that it would seem after this recording that opera houses will begin to pay attention to the work. Of interest a French scholar, Charles de Brosses, wrote 10 years after Vinci's death from poisoning, `Vinci is the Lully of Italy: true, simple, natural, expressive, writing in the most beautiful, uncontrived way for the voice ... Artaserse has a reputation as his finest work, and one of Metastasio's finest too ... It is the most famous Italian opera.' And that is fine preparation for the performance captured here.
Diego Fasolis conducts the Concerto Cologne in a completely authentic manner. At the time of the composition of Artasere, a papal decree banned women from appearing on the stages of the city's theatres, so the entire cast was male, with the female roles sung by castrati. This recording not only recognizes that bit of significant history, it honors it with the challenge of single-sex casting with a spectacular line-up of fine countertenors from around the world: Croatian-born Max Emanuel Cencic, the Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky, the Argentine Franco Fagioli, Romanian Valer Barna-Sabadus and Yuriy Mynenko from the Ukraine. The sole tenor in the recording is the German Daniel Behle.
In addition to the beauties of the music both for orchestra and for singers that this fascinating work offers is the opportunity to hear the various comparisons of the differences in the qualities of vocal production of these five countertenors. Each voice in unique with some more florid in the upper range and others more dramatic in the lower - alto - range. In the end each of these gifted men is able to create a wholly credible character while at the same time offering some of the most thrilling examples of the gift of countertenor vocal production. This is a dazzling success of a recording! Grady Harp, October 12
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By migjurado
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very nice recording. The 6 male singers (yes, no women in this opera) are wonderful. I don't understand why Jaroussky appears alone in the cover photo, since to me, the role of Fagioli is more important in the opera. I guess that Jaroussky just sells better. We can listen here no less than FIVE countertenors, so this recording is like a dream if you like this kind of voice. Jaroussky's voice seems a little bit darker than normal, he does not shine like in other recordings. I guess he was not in his best day, although he still sings very well. Cencic's singing is gorgeous, pure velvet, sometimes he sounds a little bit histrionic specially in the high register, but this fits very well with the character of his arias (in fact, she performs a female role). This is the first recording of Yuriy Minenko, and I really liked his voice, very powerful, with a big volume and wide vibrato, but always in baroque style. Barna Sabadus is a very promising singer, and I am sure he will lead the generation of new countertenors. He has a unique voice, very agile, and he has a special ability to sing the da capos, with beautiful details in ornamentation. The tenor Daniel Boehle is equally good. However the real star of the recording is the argentinian countertenor (should i say mezzosoprano?) Franco Fagioli. What a performance! His voice is harsh, but still beautiful, similar to Ceicilia Bartoli not only in color but also in trills and expresivity. Higher notes are outstanding, agilities are sung with a mathematical precision (alla Bartoli), you have just to listen to him to believe it. One of the best perfomances I have ever listened.
I agree with the previous reviewer that Concerto Koln pales a bit, but Fasolis conducting is very dynamic and he has the big merit of making this music interesting, because this is the main deffect of this opera, the quality of this music is just average. There are some good arias, but I guess that it would be a better idea to record an opera by Pergolesi, Hasse or Porpora, whose operas are still waiting to be recorded with decent cast and orchestras.
In any case, the opera is a pleasure to listen to. Fully recommended.
EDIT: after a second listening I must say that the music is exceptional!
I agree with the previous reviewer that Concerto Koln pales a bit, but Fasolis conducting is very dynamic and he has the big merit of making this music interesting, because this is the main deffect of this opera, the quality of this music is just average. There are some good arias, but I guess that it would be a better idea to record an opera by Pergolesi, Hasse or Porpora, whose operas are still waiting to be recorded with decent cast and orchestras.
In any case, the opera is a pleasure to listen to. Fully recommended.
EDIT: after a second listening I must say that the music is exceptional!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little-known baroque composer
I had just about heard of this composer before, and many will not recognise the name! However, going by this disc, Vinci"s operas definitely deserve a wider audience. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dorothy Constant
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strange Delights
Had Amazon included a pdf. synopsis, or better still a libretto, as a guide to the plot of this typical Metastasian farrago of love, treachery, guilt, betrayal and generally dirty... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Giraldus Cambrensis
5.0 out of 5 stars
So beautiful countertenors are just plain astounding
This rare "Dramma per musica", in other words opera, is admirable in many ways, and it should deserve a long commentary if not a study in depth. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jacques COULARDEAU
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING
This record is amazing, excellent cast (all of them), Fagioli is my favourite, beautiful voice. Those who love baroque opera MUST to have this.
Published 5 months ago by César Octavio Moreno Zayas
5.0 out of 5 stars
iridescent singing by a peacock
Presumably it was after this opera that Jaroussky named his own ensemble in 2002. Reaching the end of this three hour work you can understand why Leonardo Vinci was so greatly... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Philip Herring
5.0 out of 5 stars
Persian politics in the baroque
There are already several highly complimentary reviews of this recording here on Amazon - all 5-star so far as I write. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stephen Midgley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rarity full of wonders.
I always look out for new recordings with Jaroussky and Cenci and so looked forward to hearing this new, and to me, quite unknown opera by an unknown composer, Leonardo Vinci. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alistair Musicman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Countertenor heaven
Leonardo Vinci's life was short - several contemporary sources claim his death was due to poisoning by the jealous husband of his lover - but apparently colourful. Read more
Published 7 months ago by E. L. Wisty
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