Fossilium Catalogus i Animalia 122123

The reissue of a great, classic, wonderful Spanish progressive album. Feliu is a guitarist who plays only Spanish guitar, while Joan Albert, the leader of the equally great Musica Urbana, performs on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes piano, clavinet and Moog synthesizer. Recorded in 1977, released on Edigsa and always hard to find, it is reissued here from the master tapes for the very first time! Musically very active and intricate and filled with great melodic passages, yet also very stripped down and open, allowing the listener to really get inside and hear all the details. Then, on the last track, Murica Urbana and guests join them for a rocking finish!

A dazzling display of vocal virtuosity, by the stunning coloratura soprano Maria Laura Martorana. Nicola Porpora was a celebrated vocal teacher, as well as a highly respected composer, of mainly vocal works (operas, cantatas). Among his pupils were Haydn, Alessandro Scarlatti and Pergolesi. His profound knowledge of the voice and its possibilities resulted in compositions of the highest challenge to the performer. The title 'Il Volcano', one of the Cantatas recorded on this disc, gives a clear indication as to the explosive content of the music - and Maria Laura Martorana possesses all the qualities required for an effective performance of this music: effortless and brilliant vocal technique, capable of the most daunting vocal acrobatics, and a passionate and dramatic temper, conveying the strong emotions expressed in these Baroque Cantatas.

After hearing I Musici perform, Arturo Toscanini remarked, "Twelve individual instrumental masters, and together the finest chamber orchestra in the world." This Italian ensemble has long attracted international attention for their emphasis on brilliance, strength of attack, and high level of discipline, beginning with their first performances of seventeenth and eighteenth century Italian music. The group was formed in March 1952 by 12 students at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, who developed a common interest in pre-Classical music during conservatory meetings. Upon origination the ensemble was composed of six violins, two violas, two cellos, a double bass, and a harpsichord; there were three women and nine men.