Il Pianto d'Orfeo Nicolas Achten & Scherzi Musicali

• 1 L'Orfeo: Sinfonia 02:37
• 2 Curtio precipitato et altri capricii, Libro secondo: Folle è ben che si crede 03:49
• 3 La Pellegrina: Aria di Fiorenza 02:01
• 4 L'Euridice: Antri ch'à miei lamenti 02:28
• 5 L'Orfeo: All'imperio d'Amore 01:14
• 6 L'Orfeo: Rosa del ciel 02:03
• 7 L'Orfeo: Mio ben, teco il tormento 03:12
• 8 L'Orfeo: Vi ricorda, o boschi ombrosi 02:11
• 9 Intavolatura di liuto et di chitarrone, Libro primo: Toccata XIII 02:26
• 10 L'Orfeo: Tu se' morta 02:19
• 11 Le Nuove Musiche: Aria di romanesca 01:30
• 12 Caccini - L'Euridice: Non piango, e non sospiro 01:27
• 13 Peri - L'Euridice: Non piango, e non sospiro 01:34
• 14 Le Nuove Musiche: Aria di romanesca 00:43
• 15 Le Nuove Musiche: Movetevi à pietà 02:51
• 16 L'Euridice: Funeste piagge 04:02
• 17 Il primo libro di Canzone, Sinfonie, Fantasie, Capricci, Brandi, Correnti, Gagliarde, Alemanne, Volte: La suave melodia 05:06
• 18 L'Euridice: Funeste piagge 05:27
• 19 L'Orfeo: Orfeo, tu dormi? 01:26
• 20 L'Orfeo: Se desti pietà 02:26
• 21 L'Orfeo: Possente spirto 10:05
• 22 L'Orfeo: Sinfonia 01:04
• 23 L'Orfeo: Ahi vista troppo dolce 01:04
• 24 Les pleurs d'Orphée aillant perdu sa femme 03:16
• 25 Il libro quinto d'arie: Muove Orfeo l'empia Dite 02:36
• 26 L'Orfeo: Lasciate Averno 06:38
• Total Runtime 01:15:35

Info for Il Pianto d'Orfeo

This album retraces the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, comparing and contrasting different interpretations by major composers of the 16th century, including Monteverdi, Rossi and Caccini. Baritone, harpsichordist, lutenist, harpist and artistic director, Nicolas Achten is the rising figure in the world of early music. He is one of the few classical singers to accompany himself on various instruments, reviving this historical practice. Born in Brussels in 1985, he studied singing, lute, harpsichord and triple harp at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and the Hague, and completed his training at various masterclasses, including the Académie baroque d’Ambronay and the Centre de la Voix de Royaumont.

“The seamless narrative is organised into six subsections that follow the plot of the myth, connected together by instrumental pieces such as warmly played sinfonias by Rossi and music by Cavalieri...this captivating experience is enriched by Deborah York's five contributions” (Gramophone)

Nicolas Achten, baritone, harpsichord, harp
Scherzi Musicali

Nicolas Achten
Baritone, harpsichordist, lutenist, harpist and artistic director, Nicolas Achten is a rising figure in the world of early music. Prizewinner at the VIIth International Baroque Singing Competition of Chimay in 2006, he was voted Classical Artist of 2009 at the Octaves of Music Prize, and Young Musician of the Year 2009 by the Union of the Belgian Musical Press.

Born in Brussels in 1985, he studied singing, lute, harpsichord and triple harp at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and the Hague, and completed his training at various masterclasses, including the Académie baroque d’Ambronay and the Centre de la Voix de Royaumont.

Since 2004, Nicolas has performed with some of the most prestigious early music ensembles including l’Arpeggiata, La Fenice, La Petite Bande, Ausonia, Les Agrémens, Akadêmia, Les Talens Lyriques, il Fondamento, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Il Seminario Musicale, Le Poeme Harmonique, and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and under the direction of conductors such as Jean Tubéry, Sigiswald Kuijken, Marc Minkowski, Christophe Rousset and René Jacobs.

He is one of the few classical singers to accompany himself on various instruments, reviving this historical practice. With the intention of furthering this practice and research, he founded the ensemble Scherzi Musicali, whose concerts and recordings have been received with unanimous enthusiasm from the public and the international press. Scherzi Musicali have been awarded Diapason d’or découverte, Joker (Crescendo magazine), La clé (ResMusica), Prelude Classics Award, 4-star of (Monde de la musique), Muse d’Or, Golden Ring (Classic Info), “Outstanding” (International Record Review), etc.

Nicolas Achten is professor of Lute at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and professor of baroque Harp and baroque singing at the Académie de Woluwé-Saint-Lambert. He is musical director for Muziektheater Transparant’s summer courses, and is a regular guest professor at the University of East Anglia, at the Operastudio Vlaanderen, and the Yorke Trust (Norfolk).

This album contains no booklet.