Belle+delphine

This release marks the world-premiere recording and rediscovery of Antonio Caldara’s La Concordia de’ pianeti, a musical serenade of operatic magnitude composed for the court of Austrian Emperor Karl VI, featuring the creme de la creme of the day’s singers, including the legendary castrato Carestini (Franco Fagioli’s part).

Lully's 1685 Roland, on a subject apparently chosen by Louis XIV–its message is that loyalty to one's country and fighting battles is more important and noble than earthly love–was a great hit and played on-and-off in France and other European countries until 1750. The plot involves Angelique's vacillating love for Médor. She vacillates due to the fact that Médor is of "obscure lineage" and therefore beneath her station. He has undying, wild love for her. Roland adores Angelique also, but while she admires his knightliness, she is otherwise not interested. After Médor threatens suicide, Angelique gives in; they marry to great festivity at the close of Act 3.

Following on from the release of Naïve’s critically-acclaimed recording of Ottone in Villa (OP30493) in November 2010, the 16th operatic production in the label’s acclaimed ‘Vivaldi Edition’ features Teuzzone, a vibrant three-act theatre piece first produced in Venice in 1719. The music in this new 3CD set is directed by the internationally-renowned early music director Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations. The outstanding group of soloists include male soprano Paulo Lopez, baritone Furio Zanasi, countertenor Antonio Giovannini, soprano Raffaella Milanesi, and tenor Makoto Sakurada.

Following on acclaimed releases of Bellerophon and Phaeton, Christophe Rousset continues his revival of Lully's tragedies lyriques for the Aparte label with Amadis. One of the composer's finest scores, Amadis is a masterpiece of French Baroque music. It was Louis XIV himself who asked Lully and his librettist Quinault to base an opera on Montalvo's Amadis de Gaula. Avoiding the usual mythological subjects gave the composer and librettist an opportunity to expand the scope of the tragedie lyrique genre.