Composers: Cavalli
Compositions: Opera arias
Performers: Philippe Jaroussky ct, Artaserse
Catalogue Number: Erato 9029551819

What a delight is this latest and somewhat provocatively-titled recording (after all, it’s not that Ombra mai fu!) from superstar countertenor Philippe Jaroussky. For two reasons: the music – utterly exquisite – and the performances – again, utterly exquisite. If Claudio Monteverdi contributed to opera’s birth, his pupil Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) was there for its riotous teenage years. Of his 33 operas, 27 still survive, of which the more than 20 items here seek to give some idea of...