After long neglect, Agostino Steffani's (16541728) music is increasingly being performed and recorded, with the Italian diplomat and ecclesiastic finally being recognized as one of the most gifted composers of the baroque era. Here Steffani's 1691 opera Orlando Generoso gets a very worthy treatment by a team of specialists on this 2008 live recording, with countertenor Kai Wessel as Orlando, who is in love with Angelica (soprano Roberta Invernizzi), daughter of the king of China; the chamber orchestra Musica Alta Ripa performs on period instruments. Although the libretto appears only in Italian, an English-language plot summary is included.
Agostino Steffani: Orlando Generoso
Author: Daniel Lager, Roberta Invernizzi, Kai Wessel & others. Musica Alta Ripa. Bernward Lohr, conductor
Agostino Steffani: Orlando Generoso
Author: Daniel Lager, Roberta Invernizzi, Kai Wessel & others. Musica Alta Ripa. Bernward Lohr, conductor
$2.98