Geolier Dio LO SA Atto II

During the early 1990s Antonio Florio (together with Dinko Fabris) was making substantial discoveries in the field of Baroque repertory from Naples for performance and recording, and now that Florio and I Turchini are making new recordings for Glossa (Caresana’s Tenebrae and L’Adoratione de’ Maggi), we are delighted to be bringing back into circulation some of those earlier ground-breaking recordings, signed by Roberto Meo and Sigrid Lee, focusing here – with Il Canto della Sirena – on Neapolitan chamber cantatas from the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Anyone with even a passing interest in Italian progressive rock is unlikely to be unaware of Aldo Tagliapietra. Born in Murano, Rome, in 1945 for over forty years (1966-2009 with a break 82-86) he fronted one of the most successful Italian prog bands, Le Orme. Originally playing guitar as well as providing his distinctive melancholic falsetto vocal style he also turned to playing bass for the classic trio line-up of keyboard driven symphonic prog band of the seventies. When Le Orme temporarily split in 1982 he took the opportunity to release his first solo album "…Nella Notte" in 1984.
2012 finds him putting out his work ''Nella Pietra E Nel Vento'', where Tagliapietra sings and plays bass next to guitarist Andrea De Nardi, keyboardist Matteo Ballarin, drummer Manuel Smaniotto (all members of Former Life) and keyboardist Aligi Pasqualetto.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest") because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, Catholic priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instrumental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over forty operas. His best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest") because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, Catholic priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instrumental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over forty operas. His best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons..

La finta giardiniera was a resounding success: after the first performance 1774 in Rome, the opera was translated into several languages and staged in many other European cities and inspired Mozart to write an opera of the same title. This world premiere recording by the ensemble l'arte del mondo shows the exceptional skills of this little-known composer. The Spanish Catalan soprano Nuria Rial is famous for her shining, crystal clear and beautiful voice and is one of the best baroque voices for baroque arias. She was described as "a silvery sounding voice, as clear as a bell."

At the end of the 1990s, the recordings of Gabriel Garrido represented an important landmark in the interpretation of Monteverdian opera. What attracted one’s attention straightaway in his versions were the brilliance and the hedonism of the actual recording itself. Following the precepts noted by the theorist Agostino Agazzari (a contemporary of Monteverdi) concerning continuo realization, Garrido involved not only the typical instruments which can play contrapuntally (keyboard, organ, archlute, harp, etc) but those with melodic capabilities as well. The resulting sound was opulent but never ornamental; and from it the dramatic rhythm flowed in a series of subtle ways. Reinforcing the instrumental complement was never done to the detriment of vocal concerns, which continued to have a leading role. It was precisely with the voices where Garrido set himself apart from his predecessors. By deciding to surround himself with Latin voices (Italian, French, Spanish, Argentinian…) he endowed his Monteverdi with warm, rounded and sensual vocal colours.