Rodelinda

Countertenor Christophe Dumaux is one of the most important countertenors of our days. He is invited to the world's most prestigious opera houses and festivals including the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Paris Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Staatsoper Berlin, La Scala Milan, the Proms London and the Salzburg Festival. Dumaux was the soloist of the 2019 gala concert at the Gцttingen International Handel Festival where he sung a program with arias from Handel's operas such as "Orlando", "Rinaldo", "Giulio Cesare" and "Ariodante". "Christophe Dumaux's appearance at this recital in the 2019 Gцttingen Handel Festival was electrifying, dazzling, completely stunning, showing a mature singer at the top of his game with great technique and depth of interpretation not to mention golden tone." (bachtrack) On this release he showcases his talent with a programme of Handel arias.

The ever-increasing popularity of Handel and his contemporaries, and their employment of alto castratos, has encouraged the development of countertenors capable of similar vocal feats to the original interpreters of the heroic roles in these works. Among these the distinguished American, David Daniels, who burst on to the scene here a couple of years ago at Glyndebourne in Theodora, is a leading contender. If I would place Scholl in the category of Deller and Esswood, with their luminous, soft-grained tone, Daniels is closer to the more earthy sound of Bowman, his voice — like Bowman's — astonishingly large in volume.

Decca has pulled together a blockbuster collection of many of opera's greatest hits from the standard repertoire. The selection is heavily weighted to the nineteenth century, and to Italian operas, but it does indeed offer a generous sampling of what the general public understands as the staples of the repertoire. It includes one Baroque aria, from Handel's Rodelinda, and several from the Classical era - two arias from Gluck's Orfeo ed Eurydice, and seven from Mozart's operas - and the rest range from the bel canto of Rossini to the verismo of Cilea and Puccini. The selection is primarily made up of arias, but includes ensembles, choruses, and orchestral excerpts.

Handel: Operatic Arias sees soprano Emma Bell perform with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, directed from the harpsichord by Richard Egarr, in her second recital disc for Linn. Originally released in 2005 Handel: Operatic Arias has been re-issued as part of Linns ECHO series which offers a second chance to enjoy the best of the labels award-winning catalogue. Emma Bell rose to fame when she took over the title role in Handel's Rodelinda at five hours' notice for Glyndebourne on Tour in 1998 while still a student at the London Opera Centre; Bells delivery of that heart-piercing aria, Se'l mio duol, a highlight of her performance, is included here.

La Tempestad se ha presentado al público en Festivales como los de Aranjuez, Cádiz, Sevilla, Marbella, Murcia, Santillana del Mar, Valladolid, Almería, Daroca, Zaragoza, etc. Sus miembros, formados en importantes conservatorios europeos (Toulouse, Viena, Amsterdam, La Haya), han formado parte de Al Ayre Español, La Real Cámara, El Concierto Español, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the XVIII Century, European Union Baroque Orchestra, La Stravaganza, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, etc., con quienes han actuado por España, Europa, Israel y China.