Michele Scognamiglio

In this recording entitled Enigma Fortuna, the ensemble La Fonte Musica, directed by Michele Pasotti, aims to shed light on the mysterious and eccentric personality of Antonio Zacara da Teramo (1355-1416). A contemporary of Boccaccio, Donatello and Brunelleschi, this composer from the Abruzzi region could almost be likened to a sort of musical Hieronymus Bosch, for the texts he set to music conjure up a ‘topsy-turvy universe’ where the obscene, the imaginary and the grotesque go hand in hand. In his ballata Amor ne tossa he writes ‘Let him understand me who can, for I understand myself’, foreshadowing the proud egotism of the Romantic artists who were to come 400 years after him. With this four-CD set presenting the world premiere of Zacara’s complete works, La Fonte Musica offers us an initial approach to understanding his music. And thereby, through the timeless character of art, to understanding a so-called ‘renascent’ era that seems as ‘topsy-turvy’ as our own.

Born in Granada in 1934, Antonio Ruiz-Pipó learnt the guitar in his youth but trained as a pianist in Barcelona, where he was taught by Frank Marshall, doyen of the Spanish piano school made famous by Alicia de Larrocha. Further study in Paris refined Ruiz-Pipó’s compositional technique, and he taught at the École Normale from 1977 until his death in 1997.

Michèle Torr is celebrating her 60 years of her career, the opportunity to rediscover the 50 most beautiful songs of this popular artist who knew how to conquer the hearts of the French.

The CD, as always unreleased, is dedicated to Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the fathers of the Neapolitan School. The Veronese pianist Michele Fontana interprets his splendid and rare “Toccatas”.

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786 - 1832) lived and worked during a transitional period of classical music. A contemporary of Beethoven and Schubert, his works remain almost unknown to this day, except for some compositions for the flute.

In his ‘new life’ as a baritone Plácido Domingo has triumphed in the role of Francesco Foscari in Los Angeles, London and Vienna. Now he takes to the role in La Scala, Milan, the theatre that is the symbol of Italian opera. I due Foscari, premiered in 1844, famously one of Verdi’s darkest operas, is staged by Alvis Hermanis, who made such an impact at the Salzburg Festival with Die Soldaten and Il trovatore. Domingo is joined by two of Italy’s most exciting singers, the soprano Anna Pirozzi and the tenor Francesco Meli, and the acclaimed Italian conductor Michele Mariotti. The Financial Times was deeply moved by Domingo’s performance, calling his interpretation of the role ‘sublime’.

The opera that few tenors dare sing and which Flórez has made his own throughout his career. Recorded at the 2012 Pesaro Festival, Flórez reprises the role that shot him to stardom in 1996 aged twenty-three. Conducting is the up-and-coming young Italian maestro Michele Mariotti who was praised for his pacing in this long opera. The performance also features the much-admired Olga Peretyatko - a fine stage artist and a consummate performer of Rossini’s fiorature - in the title role.

The Metropolitan Opera give a live performance of Verdi's work adapted from Victor Hugo's play 'Le roi s'amuse'. In this version, which has been updated to a 1960s Las Vegas setting by director Michael Mayer, Piotr Beczala portrays the philandering Duke with Zeljko Lucic as his sidekick Rigoletto and Diana Damrau as Rigoletto's daughter Gilda, who has been kept a secret by her father and falls for the Duke while unaware of his true identity. Michelle Mariotti conducts the Metropolitan Orchestra.