Album lore

Baroque Opera, issued by harmonia mundi in late 2012, assembles a broad swath of early operatic repertoire spanning established masters and lesser-known works. The 29-track set includes excerpts from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, and Handel’s Tolomeo, re d’Egitto, among others. Performances adhere to historically informed practice, presenting arias, overtures, and choruses with period instruments and stylistic precision.Listeners will find a measured balance between the familiar and the arcane: the lament “When I am laid in earth” from Dido & Aeneas sits alongside rarities like Idaspe’s “Qual guerriero in campoarmato” and Calisto’s “Piante ombrose.” This compilation offers a concentrated survey of baroque operatic expression, with a clear focus on vocal nuance and instrumental clarity as preserved in these early music interpretations. The featured aria “Stille amare” from Tolomeo (1728) exemplifies the album’s attention to refined detail and emotive restraint.

Album lore

Baroque Opera, issued by harmonia mundi in late 2012, assembles a broad swath of early operatic repertoire spanning established masters and lesser-known works. The 29-track set includes excerpts from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, and Handel’s Tolomeo, re d’Egitto, among others. Performances adhere to historically informed practice, presenting arias, overtures, and choruses with period instruments and stylistic precision.Listeners will find a measured balance between the familiar and the arcane: the lament “When I am laid in earth” from Dido & Aeneas sits alongside rarities like Idaspe’s “Qual guerriero in campoarmato” and Calisto’s “Piante ombrose.” This compilation offers a concentrated survey of baroque operatic expression, with a clear focus on vocal nuance and instrumental clarity as preserved in these early music interpretations. The featured aria “Stille amare” from Tolomeo (1728) exemplifies the album’s attention to refined detail and emotive restraint.