Ensemble Lundabarock, Höör Barock, Ensemble Altapunta & Fredrik Malmberg – Monteverdi: L’Orfeo, SV 318 (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:45:13 minutes | 1,85 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © BIS
L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) is often described as the first opera. The composer himself used another term for his work, however: “favola in musica”, a musical tale.
Taking this as their point of departure, the performers on the present recording place the emphasis on the libretto’s direct narrative, and how the music alone is used to express emotions, a music which underpins the plot and the text word for word. To quote the liner notes: “To modern ears the musical heritage of L’Orfeo is more to be found in the Lieder tradition than in the grand opera of the nineteenth century”. The tale told by Monteverdi and the members of the three ensembles which bring his score to life, is that of Orpheus, the poet and musician who travels to the Underworld in order to persuade Hades to let his beloved Eurydice return to the living.