Deborah York & Lydia Vierlinger: Almirante

Deborah York, Lydia Vierlinger, Capella Leopoldina

What if the giants of Baroque music wrote an opera together? Well, they did, sort of, with the help of Jörg Zwicker. Some of the most beautiful soprano-alto duets of the era come together on this disc - not merely as a collection, but linked, with additional work from Ugo Nastrucci. The result is “Almirante”, a cohesive “new” Baroque opera, with music by Bach, Handel, Fux and the brothers Purcell. The approach is not new – Handel himself frequently compiled pasticcios and copied arias written by others. The Handel scholar Duncan Chisholm is quoted to that point: “Handel’s most beautiful melodies were written by Gasparini.” So, what is to be gained from this compilation that could not have been achieved through more traditional methods? Well, for one it delivers a complete opera-like experience. The tale of two lovers, Elmira and Almirante, augmented by battle scenes (courtesy of Purcell) and other operatic accoutrements, possesses a dramatic structure and continuity that a simple collection of duets could not provide. It also offers an intriguing light in which to examine the “true” Baroque operas, as they were frequently just as fragmented and combinative in nature. The strength of this recording lies of course with the musicians. The soloists deliver a truly lovely blend of voices and convincing characterizations and Capella Leopoldina, assembled and conducted by Zwicker, replicates the sound of the courtly orchestras of the emperor Leopold I. Together they transport you to a Viennese court in an era gone by, where the latest opera by Messrs Bach, Purcell, Fux and Handel is presented. Enjoy! Reviewed by Robert Tomas. Reprinted from The Wholenote Magazine (www.thewholenote.com), Nov. 2008.

Price: $25.98