Baroque Arias From Europe
Thalia Moutopoulou (Soprano), Michel Cardin (Theorbo), Chrysostomos Kalogridakis (Tenor, Guitar)
Listen or buy via Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and more.
Lovely to hear this new album filled with early music by Caccini, Bottrigari, Frescobaldi, Cavalli, Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, Strozzi, Schmelzer, and Lambert. You might already know the excellent Canadian performer, teacher, and musicologist Michel Cardin from his recordings of Weiss or from his La Tour Baroque Duo. Here he is in collaboration with Greek musicians Thalia Moutopoulou (soprano), and Chrysostomos Kalogrodakis (tenor and Baroque guitar). This is a beautifully performed and recorded album featuring many arias not often heard with only theorbo and voice and the result charming and intimate. The change to guitar and tenor also offers some interesting variety in style and sound. Below is more info on the album via Cardin:
A few years ago I met Alexandros Kalogeras, curator of the Alea III Summer Meetings in Naxos, who suggested that I participate in the Meetings by accompanying the soprano Thalia Moutopoulou with the theorbo. This was the beginning of a rich collaboration and a beautiful friendship. Thalia’s exceptional voice and her unique expressive flame were an inspiration for me to propose her to make this recording of Baroque arias. Those arias are often performed in ensembles, with a certain orchestral refinement that brings beautiful colors and a very appropriate instrumental and scenic setting. However, I thought that the expressive power of the theorbo alone, the basic instrument of any baroque continuo, allowed it to fulfill this role of the orchestra through a careful realization of the basso continuo combined with the magic of the plucked strings, which sting as much as they caress the contours of this music so moving. – Michel Cardin
He also includes this bit about the guitar part:
For two works, however, we needed a guitar accompaniment, as the score required it, and it is the talented Chrysostomos Kalogridakis who fulfills this role in Handel’s Spanish Cantata and Cavalli’s aria from La Calisto. Chrysostomos’ small 19th century guitar held the baroque guitar part with an effectively similar sound. We took advantage of the fact that Chrysostomos is also an accomplished tenor to include Zefiro torna, this memorable duet by Monteverdi, in the recording. – Michel Cardin
Here’s an audio vid to check it out as well via YouTube but go listen on Spotify, Amazon, or Apple.
