Greek mezzo-soprano, Mary-Ellen Nesi, who sings all five works, produces a stream of gloriously firm tone reminiscent of Bernada Fink, another superb mezzo on the scene these days. Her diction and moulding of phrases here is excellent. The two Leonardo Leo settings of the Salve Regina (in C Minor and F Major) which begin the disc are followed by a cello Concerto (also by Leonardo Leo) and a world premiere recording of an Alessandro Scarlatti setting of salve Regina (in C Minor) and then the two better known Pergolesi settings (in C and A Minor) conclude the disc. The cello soloist is lovely too and all works receive excellent support from Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco.

Passion Jaroussky marks 20 years since Philippe Jaroussky made his professional debut and commenced his rapid ascent to stardom. As the French countertenor says, “Even after all these years, my passion for music is undimmed.” Ranging musically from the 16th to the 21st century, the triple album comprises both new recordings and highlights from recent albums, and it also showcases Jaroussky’s collaborations with a host of major singers – from the worlds of both classical music and pop – instrumentalists, conductors and orchestras.

This Septem verba a Christo in cruce moriente proloata (The Seven Words of the Dying Christ on the Cross) was rediscovered nearly a century ago, and scholars down through the years have reached differing conclusions as to whether or not the work was really by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, as one manuscript claimed. More and more copies surfaced, and finally the discovery by musicologist Reinhard Fehling of a new set of parts at an Austrian monastery in 2009 showed that the work was at the very least popular over a good part of Europe, and the forces represented here gave the work its modern-day premiere performance and first recording.

Seux génies du baroque italien à la filiation évidente et dont la musique emplit églises, palais et théâtres du Royaume napolitain au début du XVIIIè siècle sont ici réunis : Alessandro Scarlatti (1660 – 1725) et Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 – 1736).

Early 18th-century Naples was a flourishing centre for the production of sophisticated instrumental music – a diverse panorama characterized by an extraordinary variety of genres and forms. Naples prided itself on being an important school of repertoire for string instruments, emanating from the city’s conservatories, the foundries of famous masters and virtuoso students. The Neapolitan interest in string instruments was not only reserved to the violin – here represented by a Violin Concerto by Pergolesi –; great importance was also attached to the cello which in the course of the 17th century gradually became a solo instrument, emancipating itself from a mere “basso continuo instrument”.

Costituita nel 1984, l'Orchestra da Camera "Benedetto Marcello'' ha tenuto numerosi concerti in Italia a all'Estero con riconoscimenti lusinghieri da parte della critica. Interessata al recupero delta musica strumentale italiana del XVIII secolo, soprattutto inedita, ha revisionato ed inciso per I'etichetta Bongiovanni i Concerti per flauto, archi e cembalo di G.B. Sammartini, L. Leo, N. Porpora, G. Sammartini, G.B. Martini, I'Intermezzo "Traccollo" di G.B. Pergolesi e i concerti per pianoforte a orchestra di Dussek; per I'etichetta Mondo Musica ? Emi i Concerti di Quantz, Pergolesi a Piacentino per flauto, archi e cembalo e brani di Monteverdi per soprano, archi e cembalo, collaborando con direttori e solisti di livello internazionale. I CD sono stati recensiti positivamente dalle più importanti riviste di musica. L'Orchestra ha partecipato a diversi Festivals italiani e stranieri anche con prime esecuzioni assolute in tempi moderni e inediti del '700 italiano ed ha curato l'allestimento degli Intermezzi Livietta a Traccollo, Il Maestro di Musica La Serva Padrona di G.B. Pergolesi e dell'opera Il Matrimonio Segreto di D. Cimarosa in occasione del bicentenario della sua prima esecuzione.

Two of Bach’s finest cantatas, both for solo alto, composed in Weimar (1714) and Leipzig (1726) respectively, are here coupled with the delicious agony of grief that is Pergolesi’s 'Stabat mater', an acknowledged masterpiece by one of the 18th century’s most influential composers. Bach so admired the composition of his Neapolitan colleague that he made his own ‘parody’ of it to a German text. On this recording, La Nuova Musica, in its 10th anniversary year, and its two eminent soloists display equal mastery of both idioms.

The Stabat Mater is a musical form born during the growth of the Franciscan Order in thirteenth-century Europe. Scholars have attributed the poem to various members of the Franciscan Order. Depicting the sorrow of Mary as she wept before the crucified Christ, the work represents the darkest hour of the Passion story. Though originally composed for the private use of the Franciscans, the Stabat Mater became an official part of the Roman Catholic liturgy in 1727.

This world premiere recording reveals a new masterwork by the 18-century Italian master Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, brilliantly reconstructed by musicologist Malcom Bruno from the composer's single-movement woks. Most of this music has been lost or forgotten since its creation more the 250 years ago, and most, if not all, has never been recorded.

Given that this CD was recorded in the 80s, I guess you can't really fault it for featuring the style of opera singing that was popular then, and it was worth buying anyway since it is the only recording of this beautiful opera available. If you're into obscure baroque operas, this would be a good one to add to your collection. And although the singers cast in the primo roles aren't the ones I would have chosen, Daniela Dessi as Sabina and Lucia Mazzaria as Aquilio perform very well in those roles. Susanna Anselmi is also good as Adriano.

Italian singer Sara Mingardo is considered among the more important contraltos of her generation. Her repertory is broad, encompassing works by composers from Monteverdi to Britten, though she has scored some of her greatest successes in operas and sacred music of the Baroque.

During the 18th century, it was not uncommon for enlightened princes with musical pretensions to commission works from their court composer and then affix their own names to the title pages. But in the recently solved riddle of the so-called Pergolesi/Ricciotti ''Concerti Armonici,'' the case seems to be just the reverse. These six works, written in the contrapuntal sdyle of the late Baroque, were long thought to be the work of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, largely because handwritten copies of the score found in various collections attributed the set to the Italian composer.

Known for her idiosyncratic performances of baroque repertoire and eccentric personal style, the German coloratura soprano Simone Kermes trained in her native Leipzig, with early successes including the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition. Bach has not, however, figured prominently in her career since then – Kermes gravitated towards Vivaldi, Handel and the Neapolitan composers who wrote for the great castrati, such as Riccardo Broschi, Alessandro Scarlatti and Porpora. (She has recorded several solo albums of such repertoire for Sony, including Dramma, and Colori d’Amore – reviewing the latter, BBC Music Magazine described her as ‘a remarkable artist, charming, fascinating and boldly risk-taking by turns’).

Pergolesi Year 2010 marks the birth 300 years ago of a first rank composer and singular voice. Claudio Abbado's affinity for Pergolesi is a joy to the ear and balm to the soul. The introductory album of maestro's Pergolesi Project, the famous Stabat Mater, was rapturously received by the press.
Characteristic are these comments in The Times: "Abbado's commitment to period style is never in doubt…He has exceptional soloists: Rachel Harnisch and Sara Mingardo in the Stabat, ravishing in the harmonic suspensions of their duets; a lovely toned Julia Kleiter in the Salve; and the exemplary Giuliano Carmignola in the rarely recorded Violin Concerto, a little masterpiece, all but forgotten by the mainstream."

Had Pergolesi not died young, his name would rank among the most stellar and influential of Italy’s 18th-century composers. Despite the brevity of his life – he died at 26 – Pergolesi created numerous deathless works. In this second album of Claudio Abbado’s Pergolesi Project, the renowned maestro conducts the Missa S. Emidio, Manca la guida al pie, Laudate pueri Dominum, and the Salve Regina in F minor. Abbado’s passion for this music meets these sacred compositions on the exalted level where they were composed.