Gluck's opera Antigono, a popular dramma per musica by Pietro Metastasio, was commissioned for the 1755 carnival season in Rome, where women were forbidden from performing on stage.
Performer Biography
Samuel Mariño, the soprano on this album, began his musical studies in piano and singing, and also studied ballet in Venezuela.
Composer Biography
At the time of their shared concert, Handel was 61 years old and widely recognized, while Gluck, almost thirty years younger, had only recently arrived in London.
Recording & Production
Three of Gluck's arias on this album — 'Già che morir deggìo', 'Tornate sereni', and 'Care pupille' — are world premiere recordings.
Composer Biography
Christoph Willibald Gluck, born in the Upper Palatinate, had a restless temperament and traveled extensively throughout his life, settling in Vienna in 1752.
Historical Context
George Frideric Handel and Christoph Willibald Gluck, two composers featured on this album, shared a concert bill in London on March 25, 1746.
Composition History
Handel's opera Atalanta was uniquely composed for a public event: the wedding of the British Crown Prince Frederick and Augusta of Saxony-Coburg-Gotha.
