Hasse: Serpentes Ignei In Deserto - Philippe Jaroussky,julia Lezhneva,jakub Jozef Orlinski,les Accents,thibault Noally - Audio CD (Arrives in 20 days)

Six virtuoso vocal soloists and the instrumentalists of Les Accents, conducted by Thibault Noally, rise to the dramatic and expressive challenges of Serpentes ignei in deserto – ‘Fiery Serpents in the Desert’ – a biblical oratorio by Johann Adolf Hasse, who was born near Hamburg in 1699 and died in Venice in 1783

The oratorio’s libretto is taken from the Book of Numbers. The Israelites, led by Moses, have escaped from servitude in Egypt, but are wandering in the desert. The central role of Moses is taken by countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who is joined by soprano Julia Lezhneva as an Angel, sopranist Bruno de Sá, and three further star countertenors – Jakub Józef Orlinski, Carlo VIstoli and David Hansen. “The score is demanding for all the singers,” says Thibault Noally, noted by Gramophone for his dramatic flair. “Every character is very different and each of our soloists has a unique personality and a unique vocal timbre. The result is a huge variety of temperaments and colours.”

As Noally explains: “Hasse was probably one of the most famous composers of his time – as famous as Handel, or even more famous than Handel in some countries,” The composer studied in Italy and wrote Serpentes ignei in deserto in the 1730s for the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice, which – like the Ospedale della Pietà so closely associated with Vivaldi – gave a superb musical training to girls and young women who had been orphaned or abandoned. In the words of Opera magazne, “Hasse came to symbolize an entire era of Italian opera.”

Label: Plg Uk Catalog | Origin: Holland