Giacomo Contri

David Bates leads La Nuova Musica in 'Sacrifices', a programme of intensely dramatic oratorios from the mid Baroque. Three poignant tales of denail and sacrifice: St Peter's denial of Christ; Abraham's [narrowly averted] sacrifice of his son Isaac; and the Old Testament story of Jepthe, the hero commander who, before leading the Israelites into battle against the Ammonites, vows to God that if he is victorious, he will sacrifice the first living thing he meets upon his return.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the premiere of the Rossini rarity, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro staged Ricciardo e Zoraide with an all-star cast. Juan Diego Flórez makes his debut as the crusader Ricciardo, giving a masterclass in bel canto (Bachtrack), his high notes are … still thrilling with their laser-like precision (Financial Times). The South African soprano Pretty Yende radiant and richly expressive (Financial Times) as Zoraide proves that she is a virtuosa in Rossini singing (Neue Musikzeitung). On the 150th anniversary of the composers death and 200 years after its premiere, Ricciardo e Zoraide rings out with an artistic quality that is second to none, thanks to the skills of an absolute Champions League ensemble (Online Merker).

Luigi Rossi (1598-1653), along with Monteverdi and Frescobaldi, were significant composers of the first half of the seventeenth century. His appreciation for the emotions of texts led him to devise a new means of expression in vocal music, which was the major part of his output. He was one of the first composers whose primary field was secular vocal music.

Giacomo Facco was born on 1676 in the Most Serene Republic of Venice, in the small village of Marsango. The first documentary records of his work are in a series of cantatas, dated 1702, kept in Naples. It is there he may have started working for Antonio Spi?nola. The Spi?nola family was part of the high Spanish nobility and Antonio, during the War of the Spanish Succession, was appointed Viceroy of Sicily, where he lived until 1713. Facco also moved there with the marquis’ court, and had a period of intense activity, during which he premiered several operas and oratorios, as well as some cantatas.

The oratorios of the 17th century Italian composer Giacomo Carissimi, though distant ancestors of the familiar works of Haydn and Mozart, are quite different in scope and effect. They were church works, for one thing; the Latin oratorios recorded here were composed for Lenten celebrations in a Roman church, for literate worshippers who would have known the texts well and would have been attuned to what the composer was doing with them. Perhaps a good place for the modern listener to start is with the opening Jonas, which recounts the tale of Jonah's placement in belly of the whale and has as its climax his extended intra-cetaceian prayer.

Giacomo Antonio Perti (1661-1756) was the most important composer and representative of the Bolognese school at the beginning of the 18th century. From 1696 up until his death, he was conductor at the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna.

Giacomo Facco (4 February 1676 – 16 February 1753) was an Italian Baroque violinist, conductor and composer. One of the most famous Italian composers of his day, he was completely forgotten until 1962, when his work was discovered by composer, conductor, and musicologist Uberto Zanolli.

Exploding all stereotypes about diva rivalry, Nadine Sierra and Pretty Yende, two of today’s leading operatic prima donnas and close friends, took great delight in sharing the limelight at a sold-out Paris Philharmonie on 6 March 2023. The two sopranos’ voices complement each other beautifully in a selection of arias and duets that – taken from the Italian, French and American repertoire – combine operatic tradition with 20th-century flair. The duo were accompanied by conductor Giacomo Sagripanti at the helm of Les Frivolités Parisiennes. The digital album version features 5 bonus tracks, in which the singers, accompanied by conductor Giacomo Sagripanti, brought a touch of cinematic magic to the stage, “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz being one of the songs they include.