Flavio Ferri-Benedetti & Il Basilico - Arias for Domenico Annibali (2016)

Flavio Ferri-Benedetti, one of todays referential countertenors for Italian baroque, pays homage to the once-admired but often underestimated castrato Domenico Annibali, who was greatly appreciated in a time when Senesino, Farinelli, Caffarelli or Carestini were fighting for supremacy on Europes most important stages. His approximately 25-year long career had him traveling between Italy, England, Germany and Poland, singing for composers such as Handel, Porpora, Giacomelli, Feo, Latilla, Zelenka but, most importantly, for Hasse, with whom he premiered most of his operatic roles together with the great prima donna Faustina Bordoni. In this exciting and varied recital, half of the program has been recorded for the first time ever, with some extremely rare gems such as Feos Andromaca, Latillas Romolo or Porporas Filandro. Annibalis saison in London for Handel is not only represented by Arminios breathtaking prison aria, but also by the duet from Berenice, here featuring Italian soprano Carla Nahadi Babelegoto. Ensemble Il Basilico, under the guidance of concertino Eva Saladin, displays a full palette of orchestral colors while Ferri-Benedetti, as it is usual in his recordings and on stage, gives extra care to word-painting and the portrayal of baroque affetti, all using a range of three octaves from baritone to mezzosoprano, as some castrati often liked to do.