Singer and actress Maria Dolores Pradera was born in Madrid on August 29, 1924. She spent much of her childhood in Chile, her family brought there by her father's business. She began working as an actress on both stage and screen as early as her late teens. Her first major works were the films Yo No Ne Caso in 1944 and Los Habitantes de la Casa Deshabitada in 1946. It was while working on Los Habitantes that Pradera met Fernando Fernan Gómez, whom she would marry in 1947. From there she would perform in various theaters in Spain, France, and Mexico, collaborating with the most important directors of the day.
Las Guías Visuales de España, por su planteamiento dinámico y actualizado, que permite descubrir, paso a paso, nuestro país de forma amena y atractiva, son la mejor obra de consulta para antes, durante y después del viaje. Esta guía ondrá ante sus ojos todo lo que ofrecen las Canarias, unas islas privilegiadas por su clima, su original entorno natural y el pausado ritmo de vida del que sabiamente disfrutan sus habitantes…
The priest Giuseppe Cavallo was Maestro di Canto of the Conservatorio de Santa Maria de Loreto from 1672 until his death in 1684. Otherwise, virtually nothing is known about the composer, and it is only due to the musical archive of the Oratorio di Napoli, a treasure trove of rare scores, that a handful of Cavallo's works survive, including Il Giudizio Universale. This sacred oratorio presents Christ and Saint Michael, a pair of angels, two mortals, and four souls–two damned, two blessed–and begins with Christ commanding the angels to bring on the Last Judgment. What follows is a finely crafted musical drama, except for the confusion caused when the otherwise immaculately presented album fails to reveal which of the seven singers (two sopranos, three tenors, and one bass) is singing which parts.
…So for most of us, just listening to the lively, polished performances by male and female singers, accompanied by various period instruments will be enjoyment enough–but for the more curious, the extensive and very well written liner notes offer a fine introduction to the deeper meaning of the texts and provide important context for each song. Four instrumental selections round out this flawlessly recorded program, enhanced by the ambience of the Spanish monastery venue.
…So for most of us, just listening to the lively, polished performances by male and female singers, accompanied by various period instruments will be enjoyment enough–but for the more curious, the extensive and very well written liner notes offer a fine introduction to the deeper meaning of the texts and provide important context for each song. Four instrumental selections round out this flawlessly recorded program, enhanced by the ambience of the Spanish monastery venue.