Forgotten Arias

Featuring

Julien Chauvin
Philippe Jaroussky
Le Concert de la Loge
Andrea Bernasconi
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Niccolò Piccinni

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini
Tommaso Traetta
Michelangelo Valentini
Johann Adolph Hasse
Johann Christian Bach
Niccolò Jommelli

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Johann Christian Bach, a composer featured on this album, had a significant influence on the stylistic evolution of the genre and was greatly admired by the young Mozart.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Pietro Metastasio, the librettist for many works on this album, was the most frequently set librettist in history, with some of his drammi per musica used by over 90 different composers.

Compositional Technique

The 'aria di tempesta' ('storm aria') is a characteristic type of aria in opera seria, vividly depicting stormy scenes through musical elements.

Performer Biography

Philippe Jaroussky, the countertenor on this album, has a long-standing passion for discovering and performing forgotten works from centuries past.

Compositional Technique

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini's setting of 'Gelido in ogni vena' uses a relentless pulse in the basses and striking contrasts in nuance to evoke the image of blood congealing.

Historical Context

The 'querelle des bouffons' ('war of the comic actors') was a famous dispute between the supporters of composers Christoph Willibald Gluck and Niccolò Piccinni.