Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition] reviews

Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition]

Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition] Reviews

The "Mission" of this CD's title has two meanings. One is a reference to the fact that the composer, Agostino Steffani, was throughout his career a man of many missions; for not only was he a musician of genius, he was also a diplomat and priest whose royal and ecclesiastical employers entrusted him with many important tasks, demanding both travelling stamina and negotiating skills in equal measure. The second meaning refers to the mission Cecilia Bartoli has clearly set herself - to introduce, to those who don't already know it, the marvellous music of this long-neglected mid-baroque composer. The programme consists of a dazzling variety of arias and other extracts from Steffani's operas - all of them originally produced in Hanover or in the other German states where this Italian composer spent his adult life. They are performed by the brilliant Ms Bartoli herself, joined for the duets by no less than Philippe Jaroussky, and supported with both grace and panache by the early-music ensemble I Barocchisti directed by Diego Fasolis. The first few items set the tone superbly, quickly impressing upon the listener the dramatic range of styles and moods of which Steffani was such a master. We start with the brassy, warlike brilliance of `Schiere invitte' from "Alarico il Baltha". It's followed by a lilting, chaconne-like aria of melting beauty and grace from "Servio Tullio", `Ogni core può sperar' (Every heart may hope; mine alone must weep), its instrumental accompaniment with its delicious solo passages ever so tenderly played and just as beautiful; and so here we have an altogether lovely demonstration of Steffani's feeling for word-setting and of his genius for the expression of human emotions - which for today's listeners are among the most enticing qualities of the baroque. This piece is then followed by one of Anfione's profoundly contemplative arias from "Niobe, regina di Tebe". The majority of the pieces here, as you might expect from a baroque opera collection, concern the moods and trials of love - variously expressing pain, torment, longing, fury, jealousy, ecstasy or triumph. This range is shown in the sheer beauty, subtlety, colour and textural variety of Steffani's fabulous music. In fact there are so many more jewels in this programme that I can only mention a handful of them here. `T'abbraccio, mia Diva' (track 6), again from "Niobe", is a truly exquisite example of Steffani's duet and ensemble writing, sung here to perfection by Bartoli and Jaroussky. Then again, it's followed by the extreme contrast of a triumphantly belligerent aria from "I trionfi del fato", accompanied by trumpets and horns. `Sì, sì, riposa, o caro' (track 10), with its touching delicacy and its catchy, lilting melody ending in sleep, is followed by the different, but equally gentle, rocking gait of `Notte amica al cieco Dio' (Night, you friend of the sightless god) from "La libertà contenta". Another extract from "Niobe" (track 16) brings us "Sfere amiche", Anfione's melancholy aria sung in the company of the stars and planets he loves to watch, with the instruments weaving a wonderfully sinuous accompaniment to his words (Friendly spheres, endow my lips/ with the harmony of your revolutions). `Serena, o mio bel sole' (track 18) is another, most beautiful example of Steffani's mastery of duet form and texture. `Deh stancati, o sorte' (track 20: Ah, cease, o destiny, your torment of me), expressing infinite sadness and longing for death and beautifully enhanced by the accompanying recorders, is another aria from "La libertà contenta" - an opera which, judging from the examples on this disc, I would dearly love to hear in full. An aria from "Henrico Leone" with a lovely, lyrical accompaniment (track 24), followed by a tuneful and triumphant chorus from "Marco Aurelio", bring the programme to a fine, and for once typically baroque-opera, conclusion. The presentation of the "Deluxe edition" CD version is lavish, with a very substantial booklet, ample superb photos and images of Ms Bartoli, and some attractively presented documentation and maps. All texts, translations and sources are included, although there's no commentary on the pieces chosen for this disc. There is also plenty of genuine and fascinating information about the composer's life written by the acknowledged Steffani expert Colin Timms, as well some rather dubious hype and pseudo-mysterious speculation from other quarters, including the cover as you can see for yourself. In truth there isn't all that much mystery about the composer's life and activities - it sounds good, but most of the supposed mysteries can easily be cleared up by a good look into Colin Timms' excellent book on the composer - Polymath of the Baroque: Agostino Steffani and His Music - published in 2003 but unfortunately quite hard to find these days. Altogether this is a stunning project, brilliantly executed by Cecilia Bartoli and her colleagues. The singer's voice, agility and expression are all fabulous, as they need to be in these very demanding roles; Diego Fasolis and his excellent musicians do a wonderful job with equally enticing baroque style and feeling, and the recording quality and balance are exemplary. But for me, without a doubt, star billing should go to Agostino Steffani, a seemingly inexhaustible fountain of music and melody with a rare genius for expressing words and emotions. If you fancy investigating his music further, you could try some of the exquisite chamber duets Duetti Da Camera or his final masterpiece, the beautiful "Stabat Mater", in Handel: Dixit Dominus; Steffani: Stabat Mater; or, for a complete opera, Agostino Steffani: Orlando generoso. In the meantime, though, Ms Bartoli and friends offer the ideal introduction to Steffani's wonderful music with "Mission"; fans of the baroque, or of opera in general, simply should not hesitate.. this is my Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition] reviews

Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition] Specs

• 1. Schiere invitte, non tardate
• 2. Ogni core puo sperar
• 3. Ove son Chi m aita
• 4. Piu non v ascondo
• 5. Amami, e vederai
• 6. T abbraccio, mia Diva
• 7. Mie fide schiere, all armi!
• 8. Sposa, mancar mi sento
• 9. Non prendo consiglio
• 10. Si, si, riposa, o caro
• 11. Notte amica al cieco Dio
• 12. Combatton quest alma
• 13. A facile vittoria
• 14. Tra le guerre e le vittorie
• 15. Foschi crepuscoli
• 16. Dell alma stanca a raddolcir
• 17. La cerasta piu terribile
• 18. Serena, o mio bel sole
• 19. Dal tuo labbro amor m invita
• 20. Deh stancati, o sorte
• See all 25 tracks on this disc

. Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition]

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Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition]
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Mission: Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition [Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition],

8 out of 10 based on 68 ratings