Frederico Maria Sardelli, Modo Antiquo, Sandrine Piau, Paul Agnew, Ann Hallenberg - Vivaldi: Arie d'Opera (2005)

A CD of world premiere recordings of music not heard since Vivaldi’s day. Volume 28 of the Foà Collection is Vivaldi’s personal collection of opera arias, and includes variants on the arias performed in the operas.

The performances under the stylish direction of Federico Maria Sardelli, who also contributes a dazzling recording obbligato in the concluding aria, are splendid. Sandrine Piau and Ann Hallenberg carry the greater weight of responsibility in arias, many of which call for vocal pyrotechnics and a constantly high level of technical accomplishment. Vivaldi included only four arias for tenor in his 'travel kit' and all of them are included here. Paul Agnew confronts their many challenges admirably and the two from La verità in cimento are among the finest pieces in this selection.

Of the four excellent singers, it is Paul Agnew who cops the most consistently ungrateful stuff and… he negotiates it all with enormous aplomb. …the real ear-catcher is Sandrine Piau, who not only has the most memorable music… but also shows a delightfully fresh manner and a rich vein of effective ornamentation.