Le Stagioni & Paolo Zanzu - Un secolo cantante. The Rise of Venetian Opera (2023)

After the success of Officina Romana (awarded 5 Diapasons, 5 stars in Musica , and selected amongst the best albums in Le Monde in 2021), Le Stagioni, under the direction of Paolo Zanzu, invites the listener on a journey through 17th-century Venice in the company of outstanding singers: Emmanuelle de Negri, Blandine Staskiewicz, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, Zachary Wilder and Salvo Vitale. From 1637 to 1645, between the opening of the first public opera houses and the start of the Cretan War, Venice witnessed a musical blossoming of international significance. Numerous operas were premiered on Venetian stages, with travellers from all over Europe in attendance. Alongside famous extracts of L'incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria , Un secolo cantante allows us to hear little-known works by Cavalli, Sacrati and Strozzi, as well as previously unrecorded, forgotten pieces, making use of sources from the period and the most recent scholarship to offer a fresh listening experience of this fascinating music.

Tracklist
01. L'Ormindo: Prologo
02. Musiche varie a voce sola, Libro secondo: Cielo sia con tua pace
03. L’incoronazione di Poppea, SVC 308, Act 4, Scene 4: Speranza, tu mi vai
04. Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, SV 325, Act II, Scene 5: Sono l’altre regine
05. Sonate, arie e correnti, Libro terzo: Corrente Sesta detta La Corsetta
06. La finta pazza: Guerrieri, all’armi, all’armi!
07. Bassi concenti: Nella musica del mondo
08. Sonate, arie e correnti, Libro terzo: Corrente Terza detta L’Incostante
09. Il primo libro dei madrigali: Dialogo in partenza
10. Selva morale e spirituale: No. 37, Pianto della Madonna, SV 288
11. Sonate, arie e correnti, Libro terzo: Corrente Nona detta la Simona
12. L’Ormindo, Scena ultima: Volate, fuggite