Nemica

Giovanni Bononcini (1670-1747) was a gifted cellist and a rival of Handel's; he wrote more than 30 operas and 300 cantatas. I approached this "serenata a tre" with trepidation, fearing something coy and intermezzo-like; in fact, it's simply beautiful. The not-riveting plot concerns soprano nymph Cloris' refusal of love for countertenor shepherd Tirsi, and her subsequent turnaround. Baritone Fileno, a satyr, loves her but convinces her that love is cruel because he is jealous of her love for Tirsi. In the end, Fileno vows vengeance and departs, and the lovers unite, praising fidelity and love. Bononcini manages to capture truly felt moments of love, anger, warmth, happiness, and heartbreak with minimal forces–just a few strings, all played stunningly (as usual) by Ensemble 415–and fine melodies.

Formed in Florence in 1964 with a line-up which included brothers Ugo and Raffaele Ponticiello along with bassist Giuliano Giunti and drummer Ubaldo Palanti (later replaced by Mauro Sarti, who also played with Campo di Marte and Bella Band), Spettri releases some singles in 1966-67, evolving then from the intial beat style to a rock sound with hard influences. Drummer Giorgio Di Ruvo joined them in 1968 and the line-up was enriched by organist Stefano Meloni in 1970 and bass player Vincenzo Ponticiello in 1971. The group's live repertoire was made of covers by the likes of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Spirit, but they began composing original material in form of a suite, issued on record for the first time only in 2011 and often played at the time in their concerts held in Tuscany and Lazio…