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Albinoni Arias

Alexander Mendez | South Pasadena, CA United States | 08/17/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There aren't very many recordings of Albinoni's operatic output so this recording will be of interest to those listeners who are interested in Italian baroque opera.

The sources for the music are from Franconian collections (the Schonborn collection familiar to Vivaldi admirers as the source of some of his violoncello oeuvres).

The most impressive work on the cd is the first aria, "Agitato da nembi", by Albinoni. It is a fairly simple aria in the minor key with a catchy theme. However, the short recurring figures can get a little tiring after a while.

"Il caro mio adorato" by Albinoni has a pastoral feeling and really seems to be more from a cantata than an opera. In my opinion, it is an unremarkable aria, as is the Caldara cantata excerpt.

"Non e colpa" is a very luxurious aria that will be reminiscent of the slow arias of Hasse and Handel. It reminds me of "Cara sposa" of Handel. This one is definitely a very fine aria and is the best work on the whole compact disc, although the some of the other arias are more immediately impressive. This one is for the true Baroque opera fans.

"Amor di sposo" is a quick-paced aria with lots of fireworks sections, but there are alternating meditative sections. I found this to be bothersome since the alternations were too frequent. I wish it had been all fast. In spirit it reminded me of Handel's heroic arias.

The instrumental works are all chamber pieces. They have a very luxurious sound and are well played.

The vocal singing was proficient but there were no real fireworks that make the performance particularly special. Those looking for lots of decoration will not find it here. The languid slow style of playing was good for "Non e colpa," but for the other arias I would have preferred a more lively approach. "Agitato da nembi" in particular presented great opportunities for a creative performance, but this opportunity was not seized by the ensemble or the soprano.

Of course, with such rarities one is happy to have even a recording that is just good so overall I recommend this compact disc to Italian baroque opera fans and to the casual listener who wants something to relax by in the evening hours with a cup of tea."