Lorenzo Regazzo
Veronica Cangemi
Philippe Jaroussky
Sandrine Piau
Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Topi Lehtipuu
Sara Mingardo
Ensemble Matheus
Jean-Christophe Spinosi, conductor
La Fida Ninfa premiered during the Verona carnival of 1732 at the Teatro Filarmonico. The work was composed to help celebrate the opening of the theatre, which had been postponed for two years, since at that time, the city had been surrounded by foreign military troops. The production was spectacular, and included elaborate ballets by Andrea Cattani, a famous ballet master from Poland, as well as sumptuous sets by Francesco Bibiena.
This new release from Naive is the ninth opera to be featured in the label’s ongoing Vivaldi Edition, a project launched in 2000 with the aim of recording the massive collection of Vivaldi autograph manuscripts preserved today in the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria in Turin. The collection includes fifteen operas and several hundred concertos, as well as sacred compositions and secular cantatas, most of which has not been heard since the eighteenth century. This is the fourth opera in the series to be performed by Ensemble Matheus under the direction of Jean-Christophe Spinosi. The previous three, Griselda, Orlando Furioso and La Verita in Cimento have received many international accolades, including a BBC Music Magazine Award for Griselda in 2007.
Vivaldi's score is a ravishing one, offering a rewarding sequence of beguiling arias, duets, a trio and a quartet. Sandrine Piau (Licori) and Verónica Cangemi (Morasto) take on the considerable vocal challenges of demanding roles with their usual tonal warmth and bravura, while Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Elpina) provides the necessary emotional contrasts. Topi Lehtipuu is a touchingly melancholic Narete, and Philippe Jaroussky an eloquently, sometimes passionately love-sick Osmino. Altogether a splendid achievement by Jean-Christophe Spinosi and his musicians.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 ****
