After two albums devoted to Italian music from the 17th and 18th centuries (BIS2585 and BIS2645), male soprano Nicolò Balducci now offers us a recital devoted to the greatest representatives of Viennese Classicism – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven – in the company of the fortepianist Anna Paradiso, whom we recently heard in a recording devoted to the work of Caroline Ridderstolpe together with mezzo-soprano Kristina Hammarström (BIS2675).
The vocal compositions gathered here, which include such rarities as two songs in French by Beethoven, are performed by a male soprano – in many cases the first time they have been recorded by this voice type. This original approach by the two performers makes it possible “to explore unusual nuances, both in the interpretation and in the ‘soundscape’ of this music, and to find new angles of inspiration in our interpretations” (Balducci).
The combination of high voice and fortepiano emphasises the link between sound and words, with a dimension closer to chamber music, inspired by the specific timbre of the instruments. “One of the fascinating aspects of the pieces on this recording is the power of their rhetorical expression”, writes Paradiso, and along with Balducci invites us to be entertained and moved whilst discovering “glimpses of intimate connections and shared secrets”.
1 Adelaide 5'38 2 Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte 1'32 3 Abendempfindung an Laura 4'22 4 An Chloe 2'37 5 Fidelity 3'45 6 The Mermaid's Song 3'10 7 A Pastoral Song 3'20 8 The Spirit's Song 5'15 9 Adagio in B minor 12'10 10 Dans un bois solitaire 2'48 11 Plaisir d'aimer 0'52 12 Que le temps me dure 2'37 13 An die Hoffnung 6'03 14 Der Zauberer 2'05 Sonata No. 61 in D major 15 I. Andante 4'29 16 II. Finale 1'57 17 Hoffnung 1'43 18 Ridente la calma 2'54 19 In questa tomba oscura 2'31 20 La partenza 1'03
