The 17th-century Italian Baroque period, which this album explores, is described as an inexhaustible and fascinating melting pot of musical ideas, not yet constrained by the rigid compositional styles of the following century.
Album & Artwork
The album title, "Siface: l'amor castrato" (Siface: castrated love), refers to Giovanni Francesco Grossi, a castrato singer known as Siface, and his tragic love story.
Performer Biography
Filippo Mineccia, the countertenor on this album, also served as musical supervisor and contributed to the transcriptions and performing editions.
Interpretation
The recording aims to pay homage to the singer Giovanni Francesco Grossi and depict the musical style of his era, featuring famous arias he sang alongside instrumental music from contemporary operas and oratorios.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in May 2017 in Guadarrama (Centro Cultural de La Torre), Madrid, Spain.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's artistic director, Filippo Mineccia, created an imaginary opera-pasticcio for a single character, Siface, borrowing arias and instrumental interludes associated with his career to tell his love story.
Compositional Technique
The arias performed by Siface were typically strophic, composite, often short, and featured instrumental ritornelli, differing from the later Metastasian 'da capo' structure.
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