Cavalli - La Didone (Dynamic, 2 DVDs)

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Preceded by a solemn prologue in which Iride admonishes mortals that they should not offend the gods, the story of Cavalli’s Didone comes to life thanks to numerous solo passages of highly varied character and structure, designed both for simple basso continuo support and for a more complex instrumental accompaniment, for five real parts which enjoy some independent moments and which create a diversion from the action or blend in with it in a wholly logical way, intensifying it in a studied, evocative manner. The tragic story of the Carthaginian queen is thus unfolded with extreme attention in a framework that had already been adopted by Monteverdi, of whom Cavalli is considered a worthy successor. In this case it is enlivened and, we might say, given a more popular, direct appeal as it aims to communicate with a public that is gradually expanding. The composer is sincere when he states: ”My spirit has always been far from the printing press: I have preferred to allow my weaknesses

01. Francesco Cavalli: La Didone