Rossini William

There are many lovely settings to the text of "Stabat mater" (a Mother was standing), a part of the Roman Catholic liturgy and of only theoretical authorship, that has been a popular text for composers since the mid 1200s. The Dvorak version is particularly lovely, and it is rivaled by that of a composer more known for his comic operas. Rossini's <Stabat mater> was written on a commission; and, late as always, the Italian asked for help from other composers. But later on he finished it himself and it stands as a magnificent work from the composer of "The Barber of Seville" and "William Tell." Do not be surprised then to hear a good deal of operatic intensity in this work just as there is in the Verdi "Requiem."…
By F. Behrens

Claudio Abbado is one of the leading conductors of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. He has held a number of prestigious posts, any one of which would be a crowning achievement for a conductor, and his musical presence in both concert and recordings has left an undeniable legacy of excellence. His family traces its roots to a prominent Moorish family expelled from Spain in 1492 and is said to include the architect of the Alhambra. His father was Michelangelo Abbado, a violinist and teacher who gave both Claudio and his brother, Marcello Abbado, their first piano and music lessons (Marcello has gone on to become a pianist and composer). Claudio was educated at the Milan Conservatory, graduating in 1955 with a certificate in piano. ~ Joseph Stevenson, Rovi

One of the most successful and admired opera singers of all time, Luciano Pavarotti was king among tenors from the late 1960s through the 1990s. His voice was noted for its exciting upper register, and tailor-made for the operas of Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, and Puccini, and as it darkened slightly over the years, for the verismo composers as well. His vocal longevity, which kept him singing youthfully well into his sixties, and still beautifully after that, was a credit to his commanding technique and artistry, and remarkable considering his nearly 40 years of performing.

Based on concerts presented in Spain and France countertenors Philippe Jaroussky and Max Emanuel Cencic have joined with William Christie and the Les Arts Florissants to produce this CD of duets written for countertenors.