Facce d'Amore (2019)

performed by Jakub Józef Orlinski (counter tenor), Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor)
composed by Alessandro Scarlatti, Francesco Araia, Francesco Bartolomeo Conti, Francesco Cavalli, George Frederick Handel, Giovanni Antonio Boretti, Giovanni Bononcini, Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, Luca Antonio Predieri, Nicola Matteis

Countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski made a splash with his 2018 solo debut, Anima Sacra, consisting of sacred music. His much-awaited return moves to the secular field, which might seem to be less suited to his talents: he needs soaring melodies where beauty of tone is the thing, but the lower part of his range is at this time a bit underpowered. He makes the best of what he has, however. Orlinski delves into the large remaining trove of unrecorded Baroque opera and comes up with Facce d'Amore (Faces of Love), that fit his ... Read More

Countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski made a splash with his 2018 solo debut, Anima Sacra, consisting of sacred music. His much-awaited return moves to the secular field, which might seem to be less suited to his talents: he needs soaring melodies where beauty of tone is the thing, but the lower part of his range is at this time a bit underpowered. He makes the best of what he has, however. Orlinski delves into the large remaining trove of unrecorded Baroque opera and comes up with Facce d'Amore (Faces of Love), that fit his voice. Several pieces here are world premiere recordings, and they're terrific; Baroque opera fans will want the album for the pieces by Luca Antonio Predieri alone. Giovanni Antonio Boretti's "Chi scherza con amor," from an opera called Eliogabalo, is great fun with its castanets, and Orlinski also excels in more melancholy stuff. His Handel, on its own, will not yet win any prizes, but "Sempre a si vaghi rai" from the opera Orfeo of Johann Adolf Hasse, another world premiere, hits... Read Less