Il Pomo d’Oro

Il Pomo d’Oro, Francesco Corti – Bach – Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 2 (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · February 5, 2023 · Comments off

Bach’s harpsichord concertos are arguably the first in the history of music designed specifically for this instrument. Composing them, Bach aimed to adapt the string writing of Italian instrumental concertos to a keyboard instrument, while simultaneously enriching this style with typically-German traits such as counterpoint and motivic development. Francesco Corti and il pomo d’oro present concertos BWV 1052, 1053, 1055 and 1058 as the first volume of what should become a cycle spanning four albums. Corti has chosen to combine these four concertos for the full orchestral sound they call for, while later recordings in this series will have a chamber setting in comparison. For tempo choices and melodic variations, Corti has been inspired by treatises from Bach’s time, as well as the composer’s own written-out ornamentations.

Francesco Corti belongs to the most established harpsichordists of his generation. He makes his PENTATONE debut together with the multi-award-winning ensemble il pomo d’oro, who recorded two vocal recital albums with the label: Carnevale 1729 with Ann Hallenberg (2017), as well as Prologue with Francesca Aspromonte (2018).

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Francesca Aspromonte & il pomo d’oro – Prologue (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · February 4, 2023 · Comments off

A record made up entirely of prologues from operas and baroque oratorios: this album isn’t short on spice. Prologues are completely different from the – purely orchestral – overtures of later operas, as in the baroque era, after a short instrumental introduction, we’d get right into the action, often with a sung allegorical exposition of the setting and the story. Soprano Francesca Aspromonte and Enrico Onofri have collected these allegories with il pomo d’oro (the ensemble has decided that its name will be all lowercase), taken from the late 16th century with Monteverdi and Caccini up to the first quarter of the 18th century with Alessandro Scarlatti, via the rich beauty of the middle 17th century of Cavalli, Rossi, Stradella and Cesti. The listener will have to come to terms with the fact that the opera will never really start, that these are only the premises, the first tremblings, tantalising tasters, aimed at captivating the audience. Don’t forget that in those days, it wasn’t the custom to remain silent before the start of a show, and it took all the talents of the allegorist to finally get the fans’ full attention. We reckon that Francesca Aspromonte will have no trouble captivating her audience.

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Edgar Moreau, Il Pomo d’Oro & Riccardo Minasi – Giovincello (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Though the title Giovincello seems to make a specific musical reference, it is simply an affectionate Italian term meaning ‘young man’. Only 20 years old when he recorded this album, Edgar Moreau ‘has already found his place in the great tradition of French cello-playing’ (Diapason). Here he brings his youthful energy and virtuosic thrills to 18th-century cello concertos by Haydn, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Platti, and the world-premiere recording of a Baroque concerto by Carlo Graziani.

The centrepiece of Giovincello is Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1 in C major, which is joined by Vivaldi’s Concerto in A minor RV 419 and three concertos by somewhat lesser-known Italian composers of the 18th century who all made careers outside their native country: Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) – an important figure in the history of chamber music – who spent much of his life in Spain; Giovanni Platti (1697-1763), who lived for more than 40 years in Würzburg in Bavaria, and Carlo Graziani (.-1787), a somewhat shadowy figure who became cello teacher to Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia and whose Cello Concerto in C Major is given its world-premiere recording here.

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Dmitry Sinkovsky, Riccardo Minasi, Il Pomo d’Oro – Vivaldi: Concerti per due violini e archi I (2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · December 21, 2022 · Comments off

Dmitry Sinkovsky, Riccardo Minasi, Il Pomo d’Oro – Vivaldi: Concerti per due violini e archi I (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 53:41 minutes | 1,07 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © naïve classique

This is the 51st title in the Vivaldi Edition and the 6th volume, out of approximately 12, of the series dedicated to the violin concertos whose manuscripts are held in the National Library of Turin. Following two successful volumes of concertos for solo violin and orchestra recorded separately in the Vivaldi Edition, virtuosos Riccardo Minasi and Dmitry Sinkovsky now join forces to record pyrotechnic concertos for two violins and orchestra. This series of 6 concertos is an overview of the complete art of Vivaldi as a composer and violinist: large of musical scale, invention, expression, energy, and of course, virtuosity.

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Dmitry Sinkovsky, Il Pomo d’Oro – Virtuosissimo (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · December 21, 2022 · Comments off

‘virtuosissimo’ is a photograph of an influential moment in music history. With this new album, Dmitry Sinkovsky – a dazzlingly multi-talented artist, a brilliant violinist, countertenor, conductor -goes beyond Vivaldi and his influences: as well as Pisendel, he plays works by Locatelli, Tartini, Leclair and Telemann, all of whom enriched the early 18th Century violin repertoire with opulent, highly personal works focusing on soloistic bravura.

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Dmitry Sinkovsky, Il Pomo d’Oro – Antonio Vivaldi – Concerti per violino V ‘Per Pisendel’ (2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 26, 2022 · Comments off

This is the 49th title in the Vivaldi Edition and the 5th volume, out of approximately 12, of the series dedicated to the violin concertos whose manuscripts are held in the National Library of Turin. All the concertos selected here are linked to German violinist Johann Georg Pisendel, member of the Dresden orchestra, who spent time in Venice in 1716-17, with the Electoral Prince of Saxony Friedrich August. Vivaldi and Pisendel became very close friends and the Red Priest composed several works for Pisendel. Moreover, Pisendel copied and performed afterwards in Germany several concertos by Vivaldi.

Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Dmitry Sinkovsky
Orchestra/Ensemble: Il Pomo D’oro

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Juan Sancho, Franco Fagioli, Max Cencic, Valer Sabadus, Martin Mitterrutzner, Vince Yi, Il Pomo d’Oro, Riccardo Minasi – Vinci, Leonardo: Catone in Utica (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 26, 2022 · Comments off

Juan Sancho, Franco Fagioli, Max Cencic, Valer Sabadus, Martin Mitterrutzner, Vince Yi, Il Pomo d’Oro, Riccardo Minasi – Vinci, Leonardo: Catone in Utica (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 03:53:56 minutes | 4,25 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

World premiere recording of an opera by a Neapolitan master fast gaining a first-rate modern reputation. Max Emanuel Cencic gathers around him an intoxicating mix of stratospheric countertenors, a top tenor, and an orchestra who sizzle with excitement for a performance of an opera that will appeal to all fans of Baroque music’s unsung heroes.

As March’s ‘Five Countertenors’ album showcased, the age of the countertenor is here. Max Emanuel Cencic has gathered around him, once again, a superb cast to bring Vinci’s “Catone In Utica” to vivid life.
“Vinci is the Lully of Italy: true, simple, natural, expressive”- for generations Leonardo Vinci was just another obscure Baroque composer: this first-rate recording will lift the veil from this forgotten genius of Italian opera, and from the mysterious all-male world of the 18th-century Roman stage.

With a libretto by Metastasio, Vinci’s opera was unveiled in Rome in 1728 with an all-male cast (women having been banned from the stage by the Pope): countertenors took the three heroic male roles as well as the female parts.

As well as Cencic (Arbace), the other superb countertenors are Franco Fagioli (Cesare), Valer Sabadus (Marzia), and Vince Yi (Emilia). Tenor Juan Sancho takes the title role (Catone) in this stage work about Julius Caesar’s defeat of the Republican forces led by Marcus Portius Cato in 46BC, and Riccardo Minasi, who enjoys a considerable reputation for his recordings of Baroque repertoire, conducts.

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Xavier Sabata, Il Pomo d’Oro, Riccardo Minasi – Georg Friedrich Händel – Bad Guys (2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 22, 2022 · Comments off

This ranks among the most intelligent and striking recital discs of recent years. Spanish counter-tenor Xavier Sabata,, along with the Italian ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro – conducted by Riccardo Minasi, explores the worlds of Handel’s villains – the tyrants, hypocrites and sensualists who are integral to his dramatic and moral vision, but whose music is rarely heard outside of the theatre. The album reminds us that Handel characterises evil with the same complexity and insight with which he depicts good; and it forms a superb showcase for an exceptional singer, who’s never received the attention he deserves.

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Zefira Valova, Il Pomo D’oro – Benda, Graun, Saint-Georges, Sirmen: Violin Concertos (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 13, 2022 · Comments off

il pomo d’oro and Zefira Valova focus here on the little-known violin concertos of the second half of the eighteenth century. Bringing together the works of Franz Benda and his elder Johann Gottlieb Graun (in a world premiere recording), pillars of the orchestra at the court of Frederick II of Prussia, as well as those of the Venetian virtuoso Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen and the iconoclastic Georges Bologne de Saint-Georges (also in a world premiere recording), this recording offers a bright panorama of the evolution of the genre, culminating in Mozart’s achievements in the last quarter of the century, of which il pomo d’oro and Zefira Valova offer us a glimpse with the famous Rondo in C major, K. 373.

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Max Cencic, Il Pomo d’Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev – Arie Napoletane: Max Emanuel Cencic (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 5, 2022 · Comments off

This is clearly a treasure trove of forgotten opera arias . . . an accomplishment that seems near effortless. Blurring the traditional gender stereotype his androgynous tone adds invigorating and adventurous elements to these focused and impeccably controlled performances — so full of life. There is a striking purity to the counter-tenor’s dusky timbre together with a steadfast technique . . . The quality of each aria is consistently high and I have selected several highlights. Praiseworthy is Porpora’s quick and exciting “Quel vasto, quel fiero” from “Polifemo”. Cencic in decisive form as the heroic Ulysses demonstrates his aptitude for the technical challenges. In the title role the tender and affecting love song “Dal suo gentil sembiante” from Leo’s “Demetrio” is an excellent example of Cencic’s lovely smooth line with some modest ornamentation and a gloriously fluid glide to his high registers . . . There’s a vivid presence to the sonics of this satisfyingly balanced and admirably presented recording. Lovers of Late-Baroque opera and the counter-tenor voice will be in their element. Those new to this repertoire need not hesitate. Max Emanuel Cencic is in magnificent form with these high quality, yet inexplicably forgotten, arias.

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Ann Hallenberg, Riccardo Minasi, Il pomo d’oro – Agrippina – Opera Arias (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 28, 2022 · Comments off

Ann Hallenberg, Riccardo Minasi, Il pomo d'oro - Agrippina - Opera Arias (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

The programme presented by Ann Hallenberg for DHM is a homage to the historical roman figure of Agrippina, one of the earliest historical women to inspire the fantasy of librettists and composers. Ann Hallenberg and a team of musicologists researched the musical archives to unearth all surviving operatic manuscripts containing the figure of Agrippina. Twelve of the arias are WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS. Apart from Handel’s famous opera ‘Agrippina’ and Telemann’s ‘Germanicus’, all music on this album has been recorded for the first time. This album is also a fascinating journey through the history of baroque opera. The earliest piece, Legrenzi’s ‘Germanico sul Reno’ dates from 1676 and is a typical example of early baroque style. The latest work, Graun’s ‘Britannico’ from 1752, was written only four years before the birth of Mozart, at the very end of the musical baroque period.
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In War and Peace: Harmony Through Music – Joyce DiDonato, Il Pomo d’Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev (2018) Blu-ray 1080i AVC DTS-HD MA 5.1 + BDRip 720p

Music Videos By admin · August 19, 2018 · Comments off

Title: In War and Peace: Harmony Through Music
Release Date: 2018
Genre: Classical
Director: Ralf Pleger
Conductor: Maxim Emelyanychev
Artist: Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Anna Fusek, flute solo; Maxim Emelyanychev, harpsichord; Il Pomo d’Oro, orchestra; Manuel Palazzo, choreography, dancer

Production/Label: Erato
Duration: 1:40:50 + 00:48:27
Quality: Blu-ray
Container: BDMV
Video codec: AVC
Audio codec: DTS, PCM
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 27331 kbps / 1080i / 29,970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Audio#2: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2218 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Size: 36,09 GB

Recorded live in June 2017 at the magnificent Liceu Theatre in Barcelona, this DVD is the companion to Joyce DiDonato’s award-winning album In War and Peace: Harmony through Music. Seeking answers to the existential question “In the midst of chaos, how do you find peace?”, it makes a compelling piece of music theatre as DiDonato journeys through arias by Handel, Purcell, Monteverdi, Leo and Jommelli with Il Pomo d’Oro and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev.
On stage, In War and Peace: Harmony through Musicmakes a compelling piece of music theatre. In Barcelona, as on the European and North American tours she made in late 2016, DiDonato was joined by the baroque orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro and its principal conductor Maxim Emelyanychev. May and June 2018 bring further performances in Portugal, France, Germany, Turkey and Hungary. (more…)