GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL

Cantatas for Cardinal Ottoboni

Italian Cantatas Vol. 3

 

Ero e Leandro (Qual ti riveggio) HWV 150

No se emendará jamás HWV 140

Spande ancora a mio dispetto HWV 165

Ah! Crudel, nel pianto mio HWV 78

 

Raffaella Milanesi (soprano); Salvo Vitale (bass)

La Risonanza / Fabio Bonizzoni

 

In the third instalment in Fabio Bonizzoni's survey of the secular cantatas with instrumental accompaniment, composed by Handel during his stay in Italy, come a quartet of works associated with the Venice-born Maecenas Pietro Ottoboni, including the substantial Ero e Leandro, the libretto for which is plausibly considered to have been written by the Cardinal Ottoboni himself.As well as the seldom-performed cantata for bass, Spande ancora a mio dispetto and Ah! Crudel, nel pianto mio scored for soprano solo, Bonizzoni also directs the Spanishtexted No se emendará jamás.

 

In this latest outing Bonizzoni continues with his policy of bringing forward accomplished singers with an intense and direct feel for Handel's Italian output.Where the first two volumes saw contributions from Roberta Invernizzi and Emanuela Galli, here, for this 'Ottoboni' release, the spotlight falls on soprano Raffaella Milanesi and bass Salvo Vitale.As before, our understanding of this neglected area of Handel's genius is enhanced by the accompanying booklet notes. Here they are provided by Livio Marcaletti, an expert on the music of Antonio Bononcini, as well as Handel.

 

The quality of the musical (and scholarly) results in these Handel Cantatas being accomplished by Fabio Bonizzoni and his associates is happily being recognised in a number of very positive ways.The first volume, Le Cantate per il Cardinal Pamphili, with Roberta Invernizzi, has been awarded The Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize for 2007.

 

With the fourth of the projected seven volumes in his Handel series waiting in the wings, Fabio Bonizzoni is certainly not resting on his laurels. He is currently directing performances of Handel's Messiah, an opera is being prepared for performance and his career as a keyboard recitalist is not being allowed to rest either.

 

ALSO AVAILABLE:

GCD921521 Italian Cantatas Vol. 1

"The early indication is that this lovingly prepared series will be of the utmost importance to Handel lovers. We congratulate all performers involved and the pioneering Spanish early music label Glossa, and acclaim it as the finest testament of Handel's genius produced on CD during 2007."

 

GCD921522 Italian Cantatas, Vol. 2

"Volume 1 of this series, featuring Invernizzi, was an award-winning hit, but this collection of Handel's early cantatas, fabulously sung by Galli, is better still."

Sunday Times Records of the Year

Gramophone Editor’s Choice, October

 

Glossa GCD921523