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Albums: 1987 Animal House; 1989 Mean Machine; 1990 Faceless World; 1991 Timebomb; 1997 Solid; 1998 No Limits; 1999 Holy; 2002 Man And Machine

A pioneer in the development of opera, Claudio Monteverdi took vocal music beyond Renaissance polyphony into an era in which genuine feelings and emotions could be expressed. Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria is part of a late flowering in Monteverdi’s illustrious career, and is considered the most profoundly tender and moving of his operas. Its hero Ulysses is forced to undergo cruel tests, hardships, treachery and deception before he can be reunited with his beloved queen Penelope and recover his kingdom. This acclaimed production is conducted by renowned early music specialist Ottavio Dantone, who considers Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria to be ‘the most beautiful opera ever written’.

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, né en 1976 à Genève, est un chanteur d'opéra suisse d'origine chilienne de tessiture ténor, spécialisé dans la musique baroque.Il dirige avec Mathilde Étienne la formation musicale qu'ils ont fondée, I Gemelli, et travaille de manière approfondie l'art lyrique du Seicento italien (xviie siècle) autour des œuvres de Monteverdi, et des compositeurs de cette époque.

A distinguished and versatile musician, Attilio Ariosti was born in Bologna. He joined the Servite order, but in 1696 he was in the service of the Duke of Mantua, travelling thence to Berlin at the request of the Electress Sophie Charlotte and continuing as a composer of operas and other music. Recalled by his religious superiors, he returned by way of Vienna, where he spent some years intermittently in the service of the court. Good Friday in 1705: Emperor Leopold I chose a macabre story from the Old Testament for devotion for himself and the court. An oratorio that was to underpin the unbreakable faith of virtually the entire Holy Roman Empire. Attilio Ariosti created profound, groundbreaking music for it, which shows it's creator's exceedingly great sensorium for drama.

La période qui occupe SCHUBERT à la composition des mélodies du Voyage d’hiver s’étend de février à octobre 1827. Le musicien sort d’une courte période peu propice à la création. Il lui manque la matière littéraire pour stimuler son écriture. La découverte de douze premiers poèmes de MÜLLER l’enthousiasme. La découverte de la fin du cycle intervient quelques mois plus tard, achevant ainsi le parcours.

Christoph Hammer Conductor and fortepianist/harpsichordist Hammer creates historically informed performances, often highlighting lesser-known composers.

Musically active in his home region and subsequently in Munich, Rome, Paris, Turin Hanover and Düsseldorf, Steffani also enjoyed considerable success with opera in Hamburg and garnered academic esteem in London. At the court of the Elector of Mu-nich, he was a chamber musician and principal organist from his early youth until 1688. In Hanover at the court of Duke Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg he was then kapellmeister until 1710. Dubbed a “dramatic entertainment”, La lotta d’Ercole con Acheloo was about a third shorter as was the music, there was no subdivision into acts, the subject was mythologi-cal and the four characters were treated with almost equal importance.

Soprano Edith Mathis has had one of the leading international vocal careers of the twentieth century and was particularly well known for her Mozart and Strauss roles. She studied at the Lucerne Conservatory and made her stage debut there as the Second Boy in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. After singing in Zürich, she joined the Cologne Opera in 1959. Remaining with the company until 1963, she began singing the major repertory roles.

Mauro DAlay was a virtuoso violinist and composer from Parma who acquired great fame and fortune throughout Europe. A contemporary of Vivaldi, who praised his musical skills, DAlay held official positions as a musician, first in Parmas Cathedral and then at the Spanish court of King Philip V, whose wife Elisabetta Farnese gifted DAlay the famous San Lorenzo Stradivarius in 1718, which he kept until his death. Now largely forgotten, this ambitious and dynamic composer wrote sonatas, cantatas and concertos. This album features the world premiere recording of his 12 Violin Concertos, Op. 1, published in 1725; they are composed in the Parmesan style, but with Venetian influences. Parma born violinist Luca Fanfoni recorded these concertos adhering to the instrumentation indicated in the score: principal violin, first violin, second violin, viola, cello and organ. Ensemble Reale Concerto (which counts Fanfonis wife and children among its members) recorded this album during lockdown in 2020.