Fux: La corona d’Arianna Zefiro, Arnold Schoenberg Chor & Alfredo Bernardini

• Johann Joseph Fux (1660 - 1741): d’Arianna:
• 1La corona d’Arianna: Sinfonia03:03
• 2La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Amori, e di Grazie. Or che splende a voi d’intorno (I)00:52
• 3La corona d’Arianna: Coro delle Grazie. Cori amanti, è questo il giorno01:22
• 4La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Amori, e di Grazie. Or che splende a voi d’intorno (II)00:22
• 5La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Sperate, amanti cori (Venere)00:25
• 6La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Tritoni, e di Nereidi. Con la speme di goder01:38
• 7La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Godo, o Teti, scorgendo a te nel volto (Venere, Teti)00:49
• 8La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Ninfe, e di Pastori. Quanto più acerbo a un’alma02:28
• 9La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Ma che? Tace Arianna: e ancor sospira? (Venere, Arianna, Teti)00:56
• 10La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Son qual cerva, che non lunge (Teti)02:56
• 11La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Mentir non san gl’Amori (Venere, Arianna)00:56
• 12La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Spera, e taci (Venere)03:03
• 13La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Nasso. Viene a noi di Giove il figlio00:42
• 14La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Baccanti, e di Sileni. Festive trombe applaudano01:52
• 15La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Godo, che di mie gesta il chiaro grido (Bacco, Teti, Venere)00:52
• 16La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Questi, o Teti, è il chiaro Nume (Venere, Teti)01:46
• 17La corona d’Arianna: Coro delle Grazie. Di nobil fiamma accesa01:15
• 18La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Deh! Se Arianna incontri (Venere, Bacco)00:36
• 19La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Con piacer io da la bella (Bacco)02:44
• 20La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Tu dunque ancor non ami? (Venere, Peleo, Teti)00:48
• 21La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Se fino ad ora (Teti)03:39
• 22La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Pronto lo seguirò (Peleo, Arianna)00:34
• 23La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Questa è la fida auretta (Peleo)03:19
• 24La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. L’obblio d’ogni tuo fallo (Bacco, Arianna, Peleo)01:08
• 25La corona d’Arianna: Arioso. Se mel rende un fido amor (Arianna)00:59
• 26La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Venga, né più ritardi (Arianna, Bacco)00:32
• 27La corona d’Arianna: Duetto. Non merta un traditor (Bacco, Arianna)03:53
• 28La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. E perciò da Ciprigna a me venisti? (Teti, Peleo)00:55
• 29La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Hai presente il ben, che aspetti (Teti)01:45
• 30La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Presente ho il ben (Peleo)00:25
• 31La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Chi di Febo il primo raggio (Peleo)02:29
• 32La corona d’Arianna: Coro delle Grazie, e degli Amori. Tradisce il suo piacer01:10
• 33La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Arianna, ben vengo (Venere, Arianna)01:04
• 34La corona d’Arianna: Coro delle Grazie. Così ritornerà00:24
• 35La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Mal tace, chi ben ama (Bacco, Venere, Arianna)00:56
• 36La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Il tuo cor dimanda al mio (Arianna)03:28
• 37La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Posso amarla? (Bacco, Venere)01:21
• 38La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Né lo sdegno, e né l’amor (Venere)02:52
• 39La corona d’Arianna: Coro di Nereidi, e di Tritoni. La speme degli amanti01:26
• 40La corona d’Arianna: Recitativo. Tu fosti la mia stella (Peleo, Teti, Bacco, Arianna)01:11
• 41La corona d’Arianna: Aria. Più non empia mie trombe famose (Bacco)03:17
• 42La corona d’Arianna: Coro delle Grazie, e degli Amori. O voi, che amando ardete01:42
• Total Runtime01:07:54

Info for Fux: La corona d’Arianna

In 2018, the Styriarte Festival in Graz launched, in collaboration with Zefiro, a project to rediscover the operatic output of the Styrian composer Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741), Kapellmeister at the imperial court in Vienna for forty years, with the aim of restaging six of his nineteen operas, one per year. With a cast of Baroque vocal specialists, led by Monica Piccinini and Carlotta Colombo, this set of La corona d’Arianna represents the second instalment of the Arcana series which documents the recordings made in the course of this six-year cycle, following the success of Dafne in lauro (A488, 2021 – awarded Gramophone Editor’s Choice and rated Eccezionale by Musica)

La corona d’Arianna was described as a "festa teatrale" and indeed it breathes a festive atmosphere throughout. It was written and performed in Vienna in 1726, as a birthday present from emperor Karl VI to his wife Elisabeth Christine. The choir, representing the guests at this big party, has a predominant role. On a closer look, Venus (Monica Piccinini) is busy combining couples of characters so far unlucky in love: Arianna (Carlotta Colombo) with Bacco (Rafał Tomkiewicz), Teti (Marianne Beate Kielland) with Peleo (Meli-li). This recording was made following the stage performances in Graz in June 2022 in which the work was shortened in relation to post Covid requirements. Yet the music by Fux flows happily, with plenty of dramatic tension and variety of colours.

Monica Piccinini, soprano (Venere)
Carlotta Colombo, soprano (Arianna)
Marianne Beate Kielland, alto (Teti)
Rafal Tomkiewicz, countertenor (Bacco)
Meili Li, countertenor (Peöeo)
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Zefiro
Alfredo Bernardini, direction

Alfredo Bernardini
moved to Holland in 1981 in order to specialize in the baroque oboe and Early Music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with, among others, Bruce Haynes and Ku Ebbinge.

In 1987 he obtained the Soloist Diploma from that institute. He now plays regularly with the most outstanding Early Music groups, including Hesperion XX, le Concert Des Nations, la Petite Bande, Das Freiburger Barockorchester, The English Concert, Bach Collegium Japan and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

In 1989 he founded Zefiro together with the brothers Paolo and Alberto Grazzi. He has performed in all European Countries, the United States, Latin America, in China, Japan and Israel.

He has taken part in about fifty recordings, some of which received important international prizes, for example the Cannes Classical Award of 1995 for the CD of Vivaldi's Concertos for Oboe.

Beside directing Zefiro as a baroque orchestra, he has directed orchestras in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the European Baroque Orchestra, with whom he has toured in China, Spain and Germany.

In addition to his playing career, he is active as a researcher into the history of wind instruments - many of his articles have been published by important international magazines - and he makes copies of historical oboes.

He teaches regularly in summer courses, including Urbino, Venice, Barbaste and Innsbruck; since 1992 he has taught the Baroque Oboe at the Amsterdam Conservatory and from 2002 at the Escola Superior de Musica de Cataluña in Barcelona.

Zefiro Torna
The vocal-instrumental ensemble Zefiro Torna brings to life the cultural heritage from the middle ages, renaissance and baroque in a unique way. The ensemble does not limit itself to a merely historical approach but combines it with other musical traditions, as well as literature, science, philosophy and current art expressions in the field of fine arts, theatre and dance. This results in fascinating pieces of ‘Gesamtkunst’ around a variety of symbolic or allegorical themes.

Therefore, the ensemble entered into dialogue with individual artists, directors, choreographers, composers and performers as Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Bram Bosteels, Brody Neuenschwander, Dick van der Harst, Ghalia Benali, Ief Spincemaille, Jeroen d’Hoe, Martin Valcke, Mauro Pawlowski, Sigrid T’Hooft, Stefaan Degand, Stevie Wishart, Timo Van Luijk, Tom Hannes and with ensembles as Abattoir Fermé, ARSENAAL/LAZARUS, Antwerps Kathedraalkoor, Figurentheater De Maan, Frank Vaganée Trio, Ialma, LOD, Pantalone, Psallentes, Ultima Thule, Vlaams Radiokoor/Hervé Niquet, Vocalconsort Berlin, ZOO/Thomas Hauert.

Through this approach, Zefiro Torna has gained international renown. The ensemble is a welcomed guest in prestigious (inter)national concert venues as Amuz, Bozar, Concertgebouw Brugge, De Bijloke, De Singel, Flagey, Handelsbeurs, Kaaitheater, Muziekgebouw aan ‘tIJ Amsterdam, Philharmonie Haarlem, Radialsystem V/Berlin, Vredenburg Utrecht, Wilminktheater Enschede and art and music festivals as Brosella, Charleroi Danses, Festival de Wallonie, Festival van Vlaanderen-Mechelen, Klarafestival, Laus Polyphoniae, MAfestival Brugge, Zomer van Antwerpen, Banchetto Musicale/Vilnius, Biennale Alter Musik/Konzerthaus Berlin, Concentus Moraviae, Festival de Musica Antigua de Sevilla, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Festival Seviqc-Brezice Slovenië, Frysk Festival, Gergiev Festival Rotterdam, Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg, Landshuter Hofmusiktage, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Operadagen Rotterdam, Theaterfestival Boulevard ’s-Hertogenbosch en Zeeland Nazomer Festival.

Their creations are regularly awarded and several of them have been released on the labels Et’Cetera, Warner Classics, Homerecords and Antarctica Records.

Booklet for Fux: La corona d’Arianna