Vivaldi: Catone in Utica
Catone in Utica, Antonio Vivaldi's 1737 opera with one of the most dramatic libretti by Pietro Metastasio, contains some of Vivaldi's finest, most mature, and most original arias. They evince a potential dramatic intensity that makes us regret all the more the loss of the first act. This act has now been successfully reconstructed by Vivaldi expert Alessandro Ciccolini, who has also composed cadenzas and da capo variations for all the arias. These four additions to Il Complesso Barocco Edition are landmark publications of Baroque repertoire.
[For his completion,] Alessandro Ciccolini, who, mindful that Vivaldi frequently adapted vocal music for his instrumental works and vice versa, has composed the missing passages using themes from the concertos as his starting point. His arias dovetail beautifully with Vivaldi's scheme of things... (The Guardian)
