La Fida Ninfa

La Fida Ninfa premiered during the Verona carnival of 1732 at the Teatro Filarmonico. The work was composed to help celebrate the opening of the theatre, which had been postponed for two years, since at that time, the city had been surrounded by foreign military troops. The production was spectacular, and included elaborate ballets by Andrea Cattani, a famous ballet master from Poland, as well as sumptuous sets by Francesco Bibiena. “Vivaldi's score is a ravishing one, offering a rewarding sequence of beguiling arias, duets, a trio and a quartet. Sandrine Piau (Licori) and Verónica Cangemi (Morasto) take on the considerable vocal challenges of demanding roles with their usual tonal warmth and bravura, while Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Elpina) provides the necessary emotional contrasts. Topi Lehtipuu is a touchingly melancholic Narete, and Philippe Jaroussky an eloquently, sometimes passionately love-sick Osmino. Altogether a splendid achievement by Jean-Christophe Spinosi and his musicians.” (BBC Music Magazine)

The story is of Oralto, pirate and despotic ruler of Naxos, an island in the Aegean Sea, has seized in the course of one of his plundering expeditions the old Narete, a shepherd of Scyros, and his two daughters, Licori and Elpina. Licori, an extremely beautiful young girl, had been promised in marriage when she was still a child to Osmino, a young shepherd of Scyros: but Osmino had been carried off by Thracian soldiers. Licori however had never forgotten Osmino and had remained faithful to his memory to the extent of rejecting every other proposal.

One of the best-known cellists of his generation and of the recording era overall, Yo-Yo Ma is recognized not only for his technical virtuosity but for his engaging interpretative ability, whether the tone is delicate, plaintive, playful, or impassioned. After breaking through with a collection of Bach cello suites in 1983, his ambitions and his appeal stretched far beyond the classical sphere via popular collaborations with such artists as jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin (1992's Hush) and bluegrass musicians Stuart Duncan and Chris Thile (2011's The Goat Rodeo Sessions).

This box set gathers the finest vocal recordings (opera, sacred music) from the Vivaldi Edition by some of the most reputed artists of today. Also it features the main vocal ranges: soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, bass.

Naïve's Vivaldi! features Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux in selections from Vivaldi operas and an excerpted version of his Stabat Mater, RV 621, limited just to the alto arias. All of this material is drawn from Naïve's standing catalog of Vivaldi recordings with the Ensemble Matheus, to which Lemieux has been a star contributor. Her work in duets with Philippe Jaroussky is duly noted for its resultant and memorable fireworks; some of these moments are included, along with a little bit of her work alongside popular soprano Sandrine Piau.

The most beautiful arias from the Vivaldi Edition: Orlando Furioso, Atenaide, Farnace, Teuzzone, Armida, La Fida Ninfa, Orlando 1714, Griselda, Ottone in villa and much more. The album includes outstanding singers and arias that were sensational discoveries when first introduced in this series.

Autumn 2017 marks the celebration of our 30th anniversary. It is to better serve our great Canadian musicians that the recording company Analekta was founded in 1987. Through the hundreds of albums and thousands of works recorded since its inception, Analekta has always strived to achieve perfection…