Steffani: Niobe, Regina Di Tebe / Jaroussky

Jaroussky; Gauvin; Forsythe; Immler; Sheehan; Wey; Blumberg; Balzer; Lemos; Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; ODette; Stubbs

Composed by: Steffani, Agostino

Agostino Steffani’s sumptuous 1688 opera Niobe, Regina di Tebe has proved a revelation to audiences since its first modern production in 2008. This new recording stars the spellbinding French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who “sang powerfully and sweetly and created a nuanced portrayal of the puzzlingly indolent, vain and, in the end, less puzzlingly bitter Anfione” (New York Times) in the opera’s US premiere at the Boston Early Music Festival in 2011, with Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin in the title role of the proud but tragic Theban queen. Musician, diplomat and after 1680 an ordained priest, Agostino Steffani (1654-1728) spent most of his life and career employed in various Ducal or Elector courts within German territory. His high position did not allow him to appear as a composer of operas, leaving his secretary and copyist to sign these compositions for him.

Price: $49.98