By PD72675
13-Sep-2009

A sublime resurrection!  

The resurrection of some Nicola Porpora's arie is a wonder by itself. We all know the Handel's genius and skillful compositions, but Porpora, like Salieri with Mozart, is considered the unglorious musician and rival. Alan Curtis and Karina Gauvin take us to a journey trough fantasies, drama, heroism in a pyrotechnic manifest of great passion and genie.

After listening to "Nobil Onda", "Non sempre invendicata" and "Misera sventurata", or the Overture of Ariana a Nasso, we finally understand that Porpora isn't the weak rival of the great Handel, but the major composer and teacher of the great Farinelli and Haydn.

Thanks to Karina Gauvin, to Alan Curtis and the impressive Complesso Barroco, Bravo!!!!!!
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By JD88992
31-Jan-2010

Brava Karina!  

I've heard Karina Gauvin as soloist in several works (including a lovely Mozart Requiem), and looked forward to this album of arias by Nicolo Porpora, in his time a major opera composer. He may not have Handel's gift of instantly memorable melody, but his music falls easily on the ear, and calls for the soloist to display virtuoso technique in a variety of emotions (the majority of them less than happy). Gauvin’s tone seems a bit darker than I remember, but she still spins out a warm lyric line, and in coloratura passages, she avoids the extremes of Fleming’s smudginess and Bartoli’s machine-gunning. Il Complesso Barocco provide elegant support on period instruments, and go solo in one overture.

Texts are included, with the booklet notes filling in details of the operas' plots and original productions. Nice work!
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