Stefano Landi: Il Sant'Alessio: Les Arts Florissants
The Recording: Conductor: William Christie Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants Director: Benjamin Lazar Recorded on the 18th of October 2007 at théâtre de Caen. William Christie, Luigi De Donato, Pascal Bertin, Xavier Sabata, Max Emanuel Cencic, Alain Buet, Damien Guillon, Les Arts Florissants, Jose Lemos, Philippe Jaroussky, La Maîtrise de Caen About the Opera, from Wikipedia: Sant'Alessio is an opera in three acts composed by Stefano Landi in 1631 with a libretto by Giulio Rospigliosi. Sant'Alessio was the first opera to be written on a historical subject. It describes the inner life of fifth-century Saint Alexis. The work broke new ground with a psychological characterization of a type that was new to opera. It also contains interspersed comic scenes that are anachronistically drawn from the contemporary life of Rome in the 17th century. Landi's religious context, in keeping with the Counter-Reformation spirit of Jesuit dramas, marks a new departure in the theatre in Rome, combining antiquarian interests in ancient drama with modern musical conceptions of recitative, ensembles and occasional arias. Musically, the work has considerable variety, with elements of comedy and tragedy, and went some way towards establishing specifically Christian opera in a Rome that remained musically conservative. Singers for the opera, all male, were recruited from the Papal Chapel and included castrati. The Barberinis, noted patrons of the arts, owed their current influence to the Barberini <b>...</b>
counter reformation italy italian monteverdi Opera early baroque religious catholic oratorio Stefano Landi Il Sant'Alessio Les Arts Florissants William Christie Philippe Jaroussky Max Emanuel Cencic St. Saint Alexis Giulio Rospigliosi Orchestra choir Benjamin Lazar théâtre Luigi De Donato Pascal Bertin Xavier Sabata Alain Buet Damien Guillon Jose Lemos La Maîtrise Caen
