Ian Bostridge - Three Baroque Tenors

Saturday 20 November 2010

Ian Bostridge - Three Baroque Tenors

Concert given at the Barbican Hall, London
29th October 2010
Ian Bostridge - tenor
Europa Galante
dir: Fabio Biondi

Programme:
A. Scarlatti: Se non sa qual vento (from Marco Attilo Regolo)
Vivaldi: La tiranna e avversa sorte (from Arsilda)
Caldara: Lo so, lo so: con periglia (from Joaz)
Handel: Scorta siate a passi miei (from Giulio Cesare)
Handel: From celestial seats descending (from Hercules)
Boyce: Softly rise, o southern breeze (from Solomon)

The unique attributes of the greatest singers' voices have always inspired composers to craft some of their most profound music. This programme sees English tenor Ian Bostridge perform arias specifically written for three of his 18th century Baroque-era predecessors, all of whom had strong links with Handel, two pieces of whose we hear in this concert.

Concert download links (audio):-

Part 1

Part 2

Ian Bostridge - Three Baroque Tenors

CD released 18th October 2010

EMI Classics

John Beard, Francesco Borosini, Annibale Fabri: these three men helped to revolutionized music in the 18th century. Their voices moved the greatest composers of the time to increasingly write for tenors, a move from the Castrati, which had dominated opera since 1600. Now, three centuries since this trio’s brilliance encouraged a surge of new repertoire for the vocal range, world renowned tenor Ian Bostridge celebrates their legacy with his stunning new release, Three Baroque Tenors.

This recording features works by the masters of the age, including six world premier recordings of arias by Caldara, Conti, Gasparini, Handel, Scarlatti and Vivaldi. The previously unrecorded Handel aria is Scorta siate a passi miei, from the “Borosini” edition of his famous opera Giulio Cesare. In this version, Borosini sang the role of Sesto, which was traditionally performed by a castrato with different arias. Much of the repertoire selected by Bostridge has rarely been performed in modern times.

Three Baroque Tenors is a recording that is as fascinating as it is magnificent. It is an overdue homage to this neglected musical evolution and the men who inspired it. It illustrates both Bostridge’s gift for interpreting repertoire from this period, as previously heard on his Great Handel recording, and his skills as a historian. Bostridge, who received his D.Phil in History from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, is well respected in historical and journalism circles. His new collection of essays, On Music, will be published by Faber & Faber in spring 2011.

From the BBC Proms 2009:

Georg Friederich Haendel
Love sounds the alarm from Acis and Galathea HWV 49

Ian Bostridge - tenor
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra

conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz

from the Royal Albert Hall London