Chiara Cordelia

In 1725 Roger North wrote that when the first sonata by Corelli washeard in London it swept away all other musical forms, whatever theywere. And it was precisely with these Sonatas, Opus 5 that the greatestItalian composer of the late 18th century imposed entirely newstandards of Baroque music on all of Europe.

René Jacobs began his career as a countertenor and quickly earned the reputation as one of the finest of his time. But he gradually turned to conducting and since the turn of the new century has rarely sung in concert. As a countertenor Jacobs championed a string of forgotten Baroque composers on his recordings: Antonio Cesti, Sigismondo d'India, Luca Marenzio, Pierre Guédron, Michel Lambert, and others.