Schiavo D'amore

Following acclaimed discs exploring some of the more fascinating byways of the Italian eighteenth century, Auser Musici and its founder-director Carlo Ipata turn to the man Beethoven regarded as the finest of his contemporaries, Luigi Cherubini. It’s not difficult to understand why Beethoven was so impressed: this is music full of character and seriousness of intent, from the strong-jawed Sinfonia for the opera Armida abandonnata, written when Cherubini was just twenty-two, to the dark drama of the Overture to Démophon (which unaccountably failed to wow the sniffy Parisian audiences). And there are vocal delights too, showcasing a virtuosity that looks forward to Rossini and sung here with effortless agility by Maria Grazia Schiavo.

Domènech Terradellas, born in Barcelona in 1713, finished his studies in Naples, with Durante amongst others, and became one of the most popular composers of his time. His operas rivalled those of Handel, Hasse and Jommelli and were to be seen on the major stages of Rome, Naples, Florence,Venice but also London, and his name was revered as a model for good taste by Rousseau and Burney. After his premature death in 1751, the Catalan composer fell into oblivion and it is only recently that first class interpreters have showed an interest in him once again.

A brilliant Italian pianist, Marco Schiavohas a calm connection with music. He does not like competitions and admires those who are capable of transmitting any emotion, even a small one. He has been acclaimed for his mastery, variety and control of the sonorities of the piano. Attracted by nature, he is simple and spontaneous, loves life and tries to give importance to people less fortunate than himself. He loves “mozzarella”, good wine and, like a true Mediterranean, beautiful girls.

One of the earlier members of that elite caste of composers who lived only into their mid-thirties (one thinks, of course, of Mozart, Schubert and Mendelssohn), Italian Baroque composer Alessandro Stradella is considered one of the most versatile and influential musical figures of the mid-seventeenth century. Born in Rome in 1644, Stradella first appears in the historical record eleven years later when his name is among the singers listed at St. Marcello del Crocifisso Cathedral. In 1658 he became a singer at the court of Queen Christina of Sweden (stationed in Rome), who, by 1663, was sufficiently impressed with Stradella's musical skills to begin commissioning compositions from him (beginning with the motet Chare Jesu suavissime).