We’ll be traveling to 17th century Italy now to hear the three-movement cantata “Clori mia, Clori bella” by the man who penned over 600 such works, Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725). In an era when cantatas rivaled operas for refinement and were considered the ultimate challenge to a composer’s artistry, Scarlatti was among the last to contribute significantly to the literature. The vast majority of Scarlatti’s cantatas were for solo soprano and continuo, and we will hear that combination, with the addition of director Gary Berkenstock playing recorder.
Stephanie Sheffield—soprano
Phillip W. Serna—bass viol
Joel Spears—theorobo
Gary Berkenstock—recorder
[11:34]
Podcast produced by Joshua Sauvageau
Just beautiful.