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La Serenissima (Venetian Silhouettes) on CD

Eighteenth-century Venice was the epitome of splendor: architectural, pictorial, theatrical, musical and vocal. Venetian opera shone throughout Europe, combining dramatic force with the beauty of the vocal line. Like Canaletto and Guardi, who painted all the sides of the Serenissima in their panoramas, composers sought to explore the spectrum of human passions through opera. Sophie Junker invites us to meet them, alongside Martyna Pastuszka, conductor of the h! Orkiestra. Her brilliant, acrobatic soprano blossoms in arias of fury and vengeance (Vivaldi or Lotti), or in the heart-rending complaints of an Iphigenia (Porta) or an Ariadne (Marcello). Martyna Pastuszka's violin leads one of the splendid 'La Stravaganza' (the extraordinary) concertos: a fine subtitle for this program.