Amate Stelle: Arias for Anna Maria Strada

Featuring

Andrea Buccarella
Marie Lys
Abchordis Ensemble
Antonio Vivaldi
Domenico Natale Sarro
George Frideric Handel

Leonardo Vinci
Leonardo Leo
Baldassare Galuppi
Giovanni Alberto Ristori
Nicola Antonio Porpora

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Album & Artwork

This album features arias, some previously unpublished, written for Anna Maria Strada, a prima donna of the Baroque era.

Critical Reception

While Anna Maria Strada's singing was highly praised, she drew criticism for the grimaces she made during her performances, as she did not meet the English ideal of beauty.

Composition History

For Anna Maria Strada's official farewell from the stage in 1740, she took on a male role, and the opera's title was changed to Tiridate as a tribute to her.

Composition History

Handel's opera Alcina, created in 1735, marked the culmination of a symbiotic relationship of mutual inspiration between him and Anna Maria Strada.

Composer Biography

Antonio Vivaldi, a composer, engaged Anna Maria Strada for the 1720/21 season and she was the first specifically high soprano he had worked with.

Composer Biography

George Frideric Handel contracted Anna Maria Strada as prima donna for his Second Academy in London in 1729, believing she sang better than his two previous leading ladies.

Historical Context

A satirical pamphlet by Benedetto Marcello, Il teatro alla moda, targeted Bolognese singers and their associates, including Vivaldi and Strada, leading to both leaving Venice for four years.