Handel Arias

Franco Fagioli (countertenor) & Il Pomo d'Oro, Zefira Valova

Het nieuwste album van Franco Fagioli - Händel Arias - verschijnt op 12 januari 2018 bij Deutsche Grammophon. Begeleid op historische instrumenten door het ensemble Il pomo d'oro zingt de countertenor een selectie van twaalf van zijn favoriete aria's uit de diverse wereld van Händel-opera's, waaronder Serse, Rinaldo en Ariodante. Franco Fagioli bewijst opnieuw dat hij een van de grootste en meest virtuoze stemmen aan het firmament van de countertenor is.

Handel:
 Agitato da fiere tempeste (Riccardo Primo)
 Ariodante
 Cara sposa (from Rinaldo)
 Crude furie degli orridi abissi (from Serse)
 Dopo notte (from Ariodante)
 Dove sei, amato bene? (from Rodelinda)
 Frondi tenere e belle ... Ombra mai fù (from Serse)
 Giulio Cesare in Egitto
 Il pastor fido, HWV8a
 Imeneo
 Oreste
 Partenope, HWV 27
 Pompe vane di morte! (from Rodelinda)
 Rinaldo
 Rodelinda
 Rosmira, ove ti guida…Ch'io parta (from Partenope)
 Scherza, infida (from Ariodante)
 Se in fiorito (from Giulio Cesare)
 Se potessero i sospir' miei (from Imeneo)
 Sento brillar nel sen (from Il Pastor Fido)
 Serse
 Venti turbini (Rinaldo)

"Arrestingly, uncompromisingly thrilling...while the coloratura thrills here are predictably spectacular, it’s the other elements – the new-found care and weight of the slower arias, the range of vocal brushstrokes throughout, the dramatic conviction – that hold the attention..animated by the invention and bravado of Fagioli’s ornaments, the impossible clarity and articulation of the coloratura and the singer’s sheer pleasure in his own peak fitness."
Gramophone Magazine - March 2018

"In the main Fagioli's ornamentation remains convincing and tasteful, largely confining itself to decoration rather than wild departures from the melodic line ... the sensuality of timbre, particularly in mid-range, often conveys emotion with considerable impact, Arsace's 'Ch'io parta?' (Partenope) being a good example. Il Pomo d'Oro provides its customary excellent support and it is good to find a slightly larger body of strings than it has sometimes fielded... this is a recording of unusual interest, and not just for Fagioli enthusiasts. In many respects the CD typifies much that is praiseworthy in contemporary Baroque singing, and should be heard by anyone interested in that art."
Opera - May 2018

"Fagioli reveals no chink in his technical armoury. His voice has a more buoyant thrill to it than Cencic’s and he is keen to show it off; but he is also happy to relax into a long- spun line and revel in the languor of the moment, relish a messa di voce and decorate with discretion. A couple of times, an over-excited high note creeps in: the effect is rather like having someone stamp on your foot in an otherwise smooth dance. Nevertheless, this is incredibly polished singing, and there is a palpable sense of the thought and meaning behind the texts and music. The young Zefira Valova’s conducting is supportive and idiomatic."
Opera Now - June 2018 ****