Riccardo Broschi:
Artaserse - Son qual nave ch’agitata

Egidio Romualdo Duni:
Demofoonte, King of Thrace - Misero pargoletto, Sperai vicino il lido

Georg Friedrich Händel:
Overture to 'Giulio Cesare'
Rinaldo - Lascia ch’io pianga
Serse - Ombra mai fu
Serse - Crude furie degl’ orridi abissi

Antonio Vivaldi:
Farnace - Gelido in ogni vena
Orlando furioso - Nel profondo cieco mondo, Sol da te, mio dolce amore
Orlando Furioso - Sinfonia
Tieteberga - Sento in seno

For his second recital album for BIS, countertenor and sopranist Nicolo Balducci, ‘a singer of a remarkably sweet sound and distinct vocal agility’ (Gramophone), presents arias that evoke love and pain, two basic ingredients of Italian opera in the 18th century. Often tailor-made for specific singers who were in some cases the foremost castrati from that era such as the legendary Farinelli, these arias expressed resolute valour, unbridled fury and sometimes extreme guilt, to the delight of audiences that enjoyed these operas with their far-fetched narratives inspired by mythology or historical events.

For this album, Nicolo Balducci is accompanied by the Baroque Academy Gothenburg Symphony under the direction of renowned recorder player Dan Laurin. Together, they perform well-known arias by Handel, from Vivaldi’s long neglected operas, as well as by lesser-known composers such as Riccardo Broschi (Farinelli’s brother) and Egidio Duni.

---

Recording: 7th 11th March 2022 at Jonsereds kyrka, Partille, Sweden.