Marracash È Finita LA Pace

Esiste una testimonianza di J.J Quantz che parla dell’abilità di Conti come esecutore riferendosi ad un episodio accaduto a Praga nel 1723, quando l’orchestra di corte di Vienna eseguì l’opera Costanza e Fortezza di J.J. Fux con l’aggiunta di un gruppo di musicisti di Dresda, fra i quali lo stesso Quantz e Silvius Leopold Weiss, altro grande virtuoso di liuto e tiorba. A quest’ultimo fu assegnata una parte di ripieno, mentre il ruolo di solista fu affidato a Conti.

For the final volume in Fabio Bonizzoni’s survey of cantatas written by Handel during his stay in Italy, the background scenery moves – like a reflection of the Grand Tour – from Rome to Naples; probably the troubled times in a Rome besieged by Imperial troops during the War of the Spanish Succession may have encouraged the young, itinerant Saxon musician to consider that heading down south was safer and more conducive for his overall career prospects.

The program begins with the most famous Vivaldi work of all, programmatic or not, the four violin concertos known as Le Quattro Stagioni or the Four Seasons. The rest of the music is much rarer.

Born as Alberto Favata in Piacenza, Simon Luca was among the respectable figures of Italian Rock through the first half of the 70's. He started his career as Alberto Oro, having already moved to Milan, releasing some singles in a Beat style at the end of the 60's, before launching his first album ''Da tremila anni'' on Victory as Simon Luca. Later he found his own backing band L'Enorme Maria, featuring some great members of the Milanese Rock scene, such as Ricky Belloni of New Trolls and Nuova Idea fame, his brother Gigi, Eugenio Finardi, Alberto Camerini, Lucio "Violino" Fabbri (later a member of Premiata Forneria Marconi), the last drummer of Nuova Idea Flaviano Cuffari, keyboardist Franco Orlandini, harmonica player Fabio Treves and Donatella Bardi.

This is a fine alternative to Christopher Hogwood’s period performance on L’Oiseau-Lyre, and will be welcomed heartily by fans of Marilyn Horne. Orlando is a great role, filled with arias and scenes acrobatic, tender, and exclamatory (he goes mad in Act 2 and stays that way for much of Act 3). In l985, when this present set was taped live at Venice’s La Fenice, Marilyn Horne was still in control of her awesome powers–her breath control, fluidity, big, round tones, impeccable diction, and sheer intelligence still astound after all these years. And she’s certainly superior to the nasty-sounding, if dramatic, James Bowman for Hogwood. Lella Cuberli’s Angelica is fine but is outclassed by Arleen Auger; however, I prefer Jeffrey Gall’s countertenor Medoro to Catherine Robbins’ girly one (both for Hogwood again).

Although Boccherini's musical legacy of some 350 works is quite substantial, his diligence and wealth of ideas must have produced many more compositions. A large number of these works fell victim to a fire in 1936 in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, leaving some 20 symphonies, 8 cello concertos, 91 string quartets, 154 quintets, 60 trios, religious works, and his own arrangements of works for guitar preserved for posterity - plus the one and only opera composed by Boccherini: 'La Clementina'.