OPERA

Five stars for Simone Kermes's recital of 11 Vivaldi arias.

AMOR PROFANO: VIVALDI ARIAS

Simone Kermes, Soprano. Venice Baroque Orchestra, Andrea Marcon

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Anyone who thinks Vivaldi operas are repetitive and lack inventiveness should listen to this exhilarating disc.

Simone Kermes sings a programme of 11 Vivaldi arias, including five that have not been recorded before. The result is a scintillating recital in which the singer's technical mastery does justice to the genius of the composer with arias that cover an emotional range from the heroic with staggering coloratura to ravishingly slow arias of love and lament.

The German soprano is one of a group of younger sopranos who have specialised in Baroque opera in general, and she conquers the sometimes fearsome technical demands of these arias, many of which were written for castrati singers. This is a dazzling disc with lovely music and wonderful singing.

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COLMAN MORRISSEY

Download Tracks: Siam Navi all'onde algenti, Agitata da due Venti, Amato ben, Tu sei la mia speranza