Franco Fagioli HANDEL Arias

Countertenor Franco Fagioli’s latest album, Handel Arias, is set to be released January 12 via Deutsche Grammophon. Recorded with specialist period-instrument ensemble Il Pomo D’Oro, the album features Fagioli’s personal selection of twelve arias from Handel’s rich and colourful operatic world including excerpts from Serse, Rinaldo and Ariodante.

“When I was recording,” Fagioli says, “it was as if I was taking snapshots of moments I wanted to capture for ever. In choosing the arias, my only criterion was this: which pieces move me the most when I sing them?” The result is a very personal selection revealing Fagioli’s deep veneration for this great Baroque composer. “Handel’s operas are a must for any countertenor,” he observes. “His inimitable style captivated both singers and audiences. You could say he was the Broadway star of the Baroque.”

Alongside highlights such as “Ombra mai fu” from Serse or the bravura aria “Venti turbini” from Rinaldo, Fagioli has also chosen miniature gems such as the radiant, ethereal “Ch’io parta?” from Partenope, or “Dopo notte” from Ariodante. Regardless of the popularity of the arias, he has arrived at his own individual interpretations with the awareness of his strengths. Fagioli was determined that the recordings should convey the emotional development of the various roles even without the context of the complete opera, and he succeeds so well in this that we hear even the most famous arias with fresh ears.

Franco Fagioli has found the perfect partners for his foray into Handel’s sound worlds in the musicians of Italian Baroque ensemble Il pomo d’oro. Since it was formed in 2012, the orchestra has been exploring the subtleties of historical performance practice and in their recordings with Fagioli its players let all the nuances of the scores shine through, showing the extraordinary, weightless beauty of his voice, with its three-octave range, to full advantage from start to finish.

The Argentinian countertenor is a dynamic performer as his vocal virtuosity brings the characters he plays to life while he harnesses his tremendous ability to express emotion. He is in his element in Handel’s colourful Baroque operas and is able to deploy his monumental talent to the utmost.