Customer Reviews

Scarlatti: Cantatas

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Max Emanuel Cencic's "Domenico Scarlatti: Cantate d'amour" and "Domenico Scarlatti: Cantatas" (both put out by Capriccio), highlight music written at the end of Scarlatti's career during the 1740s in Madrid. The cantatas were sung by Farinelli, also at the end of his career and at the Spanish court: he arrived there in 1737, his duty to "bring relief with his superhuman song to the King's troubled soul, who had long succumbed to melancholy." It is thought that some of the texts in these cantatas were penned by Metastasio (Farinelli and he were friends in constant communication), and written especially for Farinelli by Scarlatti. A nice little triangle!

Cencic, in fashion (and surely in sexuality) as camp as a row of tents, is a countertenor with a gorgeous, full mezzo-soprano sound (he considers himself as one). As well known as, but in some ways overshadowed by his generational counterparts David Daniels, Andreas Scholl, and Philippe Jaroussky, I also thoroughly enjoyed his "Caldara: Cantatas" and "Vivaldi: Cantatas" albums, also by Capriccio. His singing also fleshes out the operas:
"Andromeda Liberata", Vivaldi, Venice Baroque Orchestra (beautiful, 5 stars)
"Faramondo", Haendel, I Barocchisti (5 stars... 4 countertenors including Cencic and Jaroussky)
"Fernando", Haendel, Il Complesso Barocco (5 stars)

Cencic is a perfect choice for this music. Though not full of superficial or operatic pyrotechnics (Farinelli was then in his 40s) the cantatas on both albums are very rich and expressive, `natural' but sometimes `eccentric'. Both albums have a decidedly `chamber music' sound, as Ornamente 99 on "Cantate d'amour" comprises a small ensemble of violin, cello, bass, theorbo, archlute, harpsichord and recorder, and "Cantatas" is further reduced with the presence of just a fortepiano, cello, theorbo, and baroque guitar.

"Cantatas" comes with a DVD: interviews and music.