AGOSTINO STEFFANI (1653-1728): Niobe Regina di Tebe.
Catalogue Number: 02Q015
Label: Warner Classics/Erato
Reference: 25646343546
Format: CD
Price: $35.98
Description: World premiere studio recording of Agostino Steffani's sumptuous 1688 opera which countertenor Jaroussky describes as "a beautiful bridge between Monteverdi and Handel" and what WGBH in Boston called a "screwball tragedy" upon its 2011 broadcast (the same forces are here but recorded in Bremen in 2013). Of the same performance, Allan Kozinn of The New York Times noted "...the rich vocal writing is a balance of Gallic fluidity and Italianate lyricism, with adventurous chromatic touches that keep the music both emotionally pointed and surprising." 3 CDs. Italian-English libretto. Karina Gauvin, Amanda Forsythe (sopranos), Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor), Christian Immler (bass-baritone), Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs.