Winner of the Gramophone Classical Music Award 2017 (Recital)
Featuring
Maxim Emelyanychev
Joyce DiDonato
Magdalena Karolak
Anna Fusek
Il Pomo d'Oro
George Frideric Handel
Leonardo Leo
Henry Purcell
Niccolò Jommelli
Claudio Monteverdi
Did you know?
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Compositional Technique
Baroque opera and oratorio often featured 'split-emotion arias,' which were a specialty of Handel, allowing composers to deepen character understanding by exploring contrasting emotional facets.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Joyce DiDonato, the mezzo-soprano on this album, believes art unifies, transcends borders, connects the disconnected, and gloriously exalts the spirit, serving as a valiant path to peace.
Interpretation
The album invites listeners to contemplate the interwoven worlds of external conflict and serenity, and internal war and peace, through its selection of music.
Compositional Technique
Baroque libretti frequently used 'simile arias,' where characters compared themselves to natural elements, and Handel was adept at maximizing their dramatic potential.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's concept explores the continuous pendulum swing of human history between despair and hope, horror and bliss, chaos and tranquility.
Historical Context
Baroque opera audiences steadfastly clung to the obligatory 'lietofine' (a happy, peaceful, or morally uplifting ending) during times of uncertainty and political turmoil.
Album & Artwork
The album's concept and performance are by Joyce DiDonato, with photography by Brooke Shaden and design by Catherine Pisaroni.
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