Arias for Domenico Annibali

By Carla Nahadi Babelegoto

Item Number: NX.PC10341

Flavio Ferri-Benedetti, one of today's referential countertenors for Italian baroque, pays homage to the once-admired but often underestimated castrato Domenico Annibali, who was greatly appreciated in a time when Senesino, Farinelli, Caffarelli or Carestini were fighting for supremacy on Europe's most important stages. His approximately 25-year long career had him traveling between Italy, England, Germany and Poland, singing for composers such as Handel, Porpora, Giacomelli, Feo, Latilla, Zelenka but, most importantly, for Hasse, with whom he premiered most of his operatic roles together with the great prima donna Faustina Bordoni. In this exciting and varied recital, half of the program has been recorded for the first time ever, with some extremely rare gems such as Feo's Andromaca, Latilla's Romolo or Porpora's Filandro. Annibali's saison in London for Handel is not only represented by Arminio's breathtaking prison aria, but also by the duet from Berenice, here featuring Italian soprano Carla Nahadi Babelegoto. Ensemble Il Basilico, under the guidance of concertino Eva Saladin, displays a full palette of orchestral colors while Ferri-Benedetti, as it is usual in his recordings and on stage, gives extra care to word-painting and the portrayal of baroque affetti, all using a range of three octaves from baritone to mezzosoprano, as some castrati often liked to do.

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