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Max Cencic, Yuri Minienko, Valer Sabadus, Xavier Sabata, Vince Yi, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou – The 5 Countertenors (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:03:45 minutes | 1,16 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
‘The 5 Countertenors’ draws together five of the world’s most renowned countertenors, who bring the rich world of baroque opera to life.
Described in their heyday as “beyond all creatures upon earth.” (William Congreve, 1700), countertenors are once again firmly established on concert platforms, opera stages, the covers of music magazines – and the subjects of heated on-line debate and of fan-pages on social media.
These world-class performers showcase the expressive variety of this unique genre. This album also celebrates the individuality of each singer’s voice and in turn the art of the countertenor. The countertenors are accompanied by the brilliant, ECHO-Klassik winning baroque group, Armonia Atenea, under George Petrou.
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Max Cencic, Armonia Atenea & George Petrou – Rokoko: Hasse Opera Arias (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:23 minutes | 1,19 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
Launching his new recording contract with Decca Classics, critically-acclaimed countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic performs arias from the finest of Hasse’s dramatic works. From the exquisite delicacy of the aria di sostenuto to the fiery passion of the aria di bravura, Cencic’s sensational performance brings Hasse’s greatest works to a new audience, brilliantly fresh and with maximum effect.
Rokoko follows on from Cencic’s incredibly well received Alessandro on Decca Classics. Critics from the world’s leading press recognised the album’s outstanding qualities: Gramophone described it as “an essential purchase”; Opera News observed that Cencic “commands the music totally”, while Diapason awarded it Diapason de l’or de l’année and it also won recognition in the International Opera Awards in London
For this new recording Cencic is accompanied by the superb Armonia Atenea under their internationally-renowned conductor George Petrou.
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Max Emanuel Cencic, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou – Porpora: Opera Arias (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:15:57 minutes | 1,41 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
Grammy-nominated artist Max Emanuel Cencic presents Nicola Porpora: Opera Arias, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Porpora’s death.
Featuring 7 world premiere recordings!
Max Emanuel Cencic explores the operatic arias of rarely performed composer Nicola Porpora. Armonia Atenea accompanies Cencic in his exploration with George Petrou conducting the new album released by Decca Classics.
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Max Emanuel Cencic, George Petrou, Il Pomo d’Oro, Lauren Snouffer – Handel: Ottone, HWV 15 (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 03:23:08 minutes | 3,66 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
One should not think that at the time when Handel was around, an opera was a finished product, etched in stone, the score of which was some kind of Holy Grail that would not suffer any tampering with, be it so benign. From that point of view, Handel’s Ottone is a case in point. Some extensive adjustments probably arose from Handel’s collaboration with the famous prima donna Francesca Cuzzoni, who had arrived in London in December 1722, but a fortnight before the first performance, and immediately threw a tantrum. Several of her arias she rejected and had had Handel substitute with entirely different new music. According to Mainwaring’s Memoirs of the Life of the Late George Frederic Handel (1760), having one day some words with Cuzzoni on her refusing to sing the aria Falsa imagine, the composer had shouted, in French: “I know very well that you are a veritable she-devil: but I will show you that I am Beelzebub the Chief of the Devils ” and with this he took her up by the waist, and, if she uttered another word, swore that he would fling her out of the window. This being said, many of the modifications he made during the rehearsal period had nothing to do with Cuzzoni. All in all, eleven arias and one duet were finished but then discarded and replaced before the first performance, and several other arias were considerably revised . It is impossible to determine which changes were instigated by Handel himself on artistic grounds and which were compromises in order to satisfy his singers’ whims and overblown egos. In addition to rejections, redrafts of scenes and wholesale substitutions by Handel during the opera’s composition and preparation, further amendments were also made during its first run . Moreover, he replaced and also added several extra arias for the twelfth performance, which took place on 26 March 1723 after a break of several weeks because of Lent. So: what does “the real” Ottone look like? This recording presents a reconstruction of the complete first performance version, but it also incorporates Handel’s expansions to two scenes reworked especially for Cuzzoni. As an appendix, there are three bonus tracks of new arias composed for the title-role in Handel’s 1726 revival, making it an Ottone as complete as possible. All this extra music will allow the listener to enjoy even more the great voices of the recording, to begin with the countertenor Max Cencic, but also the soprano Lauren Snouffer – who sings the part initially held by the infamous Cuzzoni –, accompanied by the ensemble Il pomo d’oro playing on period instruments and conducted by George Petrou.
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George Petrou, Armonia Atenea, Vivica Genaux, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Sonia Prina, Romina Basso – Baroque Divas (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:15:33 minutes | 781 MB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
Three star mezzo-sopranos and a wonderful contralto present this recital, bringing to life the rich heritage of Baroque opera, the pinnacle of musical enjoyment and the entertaining element of cultic stardom alike. With tongue-in-cheek humour, present-day prima donnas Vivica Genaux, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Sonia Prina and Romina Basso follow in the footsteps of their passionate predecessors, accompanied here by celebrated Greek orchestra Armonia Atenea under conductor George Petrou, winner of Germany’s prestigious ECHO Klassik Award. Extra spice is added by the fact the these present-day divas also perform arias that, in the Baroque era, were the province of male singers.
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Franco Fagioli, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou – Rossini (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:15:20 minutes | 1,35 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Countertenor performances of 19th century opera are a historical and, ultimately, true novelty. This said, for those who love the sound of the countertenor voice and want to give it a try, there are several factors that recommend this release by countertenor Franco Fagioli, with the small orchestra Armonia Atenea under George Petrou. First is that castrati were still around in Rossini’s time, although on the decline, and the composer was reportedly intrigued by their voices. Second, Fagioli, unlike the vast majority of other countertenors, studied bel canto singing rather than Baroque repertory exclusively, and a certain distance present in the work of other countertenors is absent here. And third, and most important, is Fagioli’s voice itself. Of the countertenors active today, he’s the one with the range, the power, the attitude to make you suspend disbelief and think for a moment that you’re actually listening to a castrato. He enters into the various Rossini roles represented on this recording, several of which were mezzo-soprano “pants” roles; this adds to the layers of identity-switching happening, and the parts hit Fagioli’s vocal sweet spot. A bonus is that several of these are from Rossini opere serie that are little played or recorded. Semiramide is one that has continued to hold the stage, however; sample one of Fagioli’s arias of Arsace, the Assyrian commander, and marvel at the power and dramatic sense. This could be a breakthrough for Fagioli in the crowded countertenor field.
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Daniel Behle, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou – Gluck: Opera Arias (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:12:16 minutes | 1,36 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
Celebrating the 300th anniversary of Gluck’s birth, Daniel Behle presents this album of Gluck’s lesser known opera arias. Showcasing their rich variety of styles, he illustrates that these works are primed for revival.
In the world of opera the artistic achievement of singers and their fellow musicians can create a special, incendiary chemistry with an audience. There is nothing like that magical moment of silence at the end of a marvellous aria before the first cries of „Bravo!“ ring out.
For his Gluck recital the German tenor Daniel Behle has chosen glorious arias by a master of the 18th century – Christoph Willibald Gluck – that are sure to elicit a rapturous response, especially when performed by one of the finest lyric tenors of our time.
Behle has been compared to such tenor legends as Fritz Wunderlich, Richard Tauber and Anton Dermota, praised for his “bright, supple and warm timbre” and his natural musicality (Fono Forum, August 2012). The beauty of his tone is complemented by the probing nature of his interpretations as he captures the emotions of each character with captivating psychological insight, playing in a masterly fashion with the colours of the music. Familiar arias are transformed into a new and moving experience.
Daniel Behle is accompanied by one of Europe’s leading Baroque orchestras, Armonia Atenea, conducted by the extraordinary George Petrou.
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