Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Antonio Draghi & Leonardo García Alarcón: El Prometeo (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/176,4kHz]

Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Antonio Draghi & Leonardo García Alarcón: El Prometeo (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/176,4 kHz | Time – 02:06:32 minutes | 4,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alpha Classics

The original score of El Prometeo (Prometheus) is held in the Leopoldine Library in Vienna. It dates from 1669 and was written by Antonio Draghi, a composer who was also a singer, notably in the operas of Cavalli. For the first time in history, an Italian set a text in Spanish. The last act of El Prometeo has disappeared. But since the libretto of this act has survived, Leonardo García Alarcón decided to rewrite all the music for it. ‘I immersed myself in Draghi’s music in order to understand his style, his favourite intervals, the type of melody he composed and the type of basso continuo he was fond of, so as to try to produce a score that is worthy of him. So I hope that this third act will measure up to his music, his intentions and his creativity!’ says the Argentinian conductor. Directing a brilliant cast (Fabio Trümpy, Mariana Flores, Giuseppina Bridelli, Scott Conner, Borja Quisa, Zachary Wilder, Ana Quintans), Leonardo García Alarcón brings this Baroque opera to life in Spanish, an opportunity to show his love for his mother tongue, ‘a supremely musical language’!

The multitude of incomplete manuscripts of so many baroque operas and oratorios offers a very tempting playground for today’s performers and musicologists. However, it is quite rare for a 21st century artist to compose an entire act from scratch. This was what has happened with El Prometeo by Italian composer Antonio Draghi, who was active at the Habsburg court in Vienna.

Composed in 1669, it is one of the few operas from that time written in Castilian, which gives this discovery a vital historical importance. Draghi is a direct heir to Monteverdi and Cavalli, whose works he sang in his youth and whose style he carried forward. As was the style in his day, his music is made up of a deft mixture of comic scenes. This was a tradition that would stretch all the way down to Mozart, via the Jommelli operas that the young composer so admired.
Convinced that what he had discovered was the complete manuscript, Leonardo García Alarcón had found himself trapped when he realised his mistake just as the work was due to open at the Dijon Opera. So he was obliged to either cancel the production, or to assemble other works into a “pasticcio” of the style of the 18th century. The conductor wasn’t paralysed by the fear of a blank page: he put himself into Draghi’s shoes to compose a whole third act: the densest, most dramatic part of the artwork, the original of which was irretrievably lost.

Going beyond mere plagiarism, García Alarcón had some fun, paying tribute to Austrian opera, borrowing from Draghi of course, but also from Cesti, Caldara, and all the way up to Mozart. The result of this tour de force is a perfect illusion: his assimilation of different styles allows him to create music that’s inspired by and in perfect harmony with the rest of the score. The Namur Chamber Choir, the many soloists and the bewitching colours of the Cappella Mediterranea all contribute greatly to a production whose success you can feel on this new album. – François Hudry

Tracklist:
01. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Overture (00:28)
02. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scenes 1 & 2: Soberana Hermosura (06:36)
03. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 3: Bueno Has Quedado Corazon Amante (01:32)
04. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 3: Amante de Prometeo (07:05)
05. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 4: À del Falado Reyno (05:02)
06. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 5: Tetis Felice, y Hermosa (02:35)
07. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 6: Si en Medio de Se Divìna (04:40)
08. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 7: En Fin Con Doña Estatua Embelesádo (01:17)
09. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 8: Que Siempre Llegue (01:41)
10. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 9: Prometeo (05:34)
11. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 10: Tus Bodas, Gran Tonante (05:36)
12. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act I Scene 11: Ya Tetis, Gran Nerèo (05:19)
13. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 1: Que Firme, Que Esento (03:22)
14. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 2: Que Roban, Que Llevan (01:53)
15. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 3: Padre (01:23)
16. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 4: Tu Mercurio Vuela (02:42)
17. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 5: Quando Fin Darà el Deséo (02:34)
18. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 6: Tu Padre, Tetis, Señores (02:05)
19. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 7: A Fama (04:42)
20. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 8: O Fuego Soberàno (04:37)
21. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 9: Quien de los Cielos Profano (00:44)
22. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 10: En Busca de Mi Amante (03:03)
23. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 11: A Adorar las Cenizas de Mi Amada (02:29)
24. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act II Scene 12: Ay de la Vida (02:30)
25. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 1: No Ha de Rendirte Parias (08:19)
26. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 2: Dioses, Pues no Hay Remedio (04:11)
27. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 3: Pues Fuiste en Mi Mal (04:16)
28. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 4: Hasta Quando, Amorosos Desaciertos (04:37)
29. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 5: Sentida (04:27)
30. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 6: Si la Vista Real, al Deliquente (02:17)
31. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 7: A Imperio Fulminante (01:38)
32. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 8: Satyro Fiel, Consuelete Mi Pena (03:40)
33. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 9: Araña Se Mira Aragne (05:03)
34. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 10: Pues Toco, Pues Miro (01:19)
35. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 11: O Suma Deidad (02:17)
36. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 11: Y a Tus Plantas (02:48)
37. Capella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur & Leonardo García Alarcón – Act III Scene 11: Levantad (01:50)

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