Girolamo Frescobaldi - Affetti amorosi - Le Banquet Celeste, Damien Guillon (2018) {Glossa GCD 92370 Official Digital Download}

With Affetti amorosi Damien Guillon directs a dazzling selection of vocal works from Girolamo Frescobaldi, drawn from the Ferrara composer’s two books of Arie musicali. These arias date from 1615-1630, by which time Frescobaldi, now resident in Rome, had become a “cult” composer, and permitted great expressive freedom in the performance of his music.

Purposefully offering a recording full of contrasts and singing of human and divine love, countertenor Guillon is admirably matched by the other vocal talents in Le Banquet Céleste: soprano Céline Scheen, tenor Thomas Hobbs and bass Benoît Arnould. This new Glossa recording includes two of Frescobaldi’s enduring and moving spiritual sonnets, Maddalena alla croce and Ohimè che fur as well as one of the nascent Baroque’s favoured vocal forms, the lettera amorosa, in Vanne, o carta amorosa.

The singers are joined by lute, harp, cello and harpsichord from Guillon’s ensemble. In his wideranging and thought-provoking essay Pierre-Élie Mamou points out vivid characteristics of this early Baroque music – including “the play of opposites that greatly moves our souls” – notably the polarities between anxiety and pleasure, and time which passes and time which remains.

Glossa INFO

Musicians

Céline Scheen, soprano
Damien Guillon, contre ténor et direction musicale
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Benoît Arnould, basse

Le Banquet Céleste
Julien Barre, violoncelle
Kevin Manent-Navratil, clavecin
André Henrich, luth
Marie-Domitille Murez, harpe



Track Listing

01. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 3, Oscure selve
02. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 22, Corilla danzando
03. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 21, Eri gia tutta mia
04. Toccate e partite d'intavolatura, Book 1, F 2 No. 32, Balletto e ciaccona
05. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 15, Se l'aura spira
06. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 7, Dunque dovro
07. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 11, Troppo sotto due stele
08. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 20, Oh dolore
09. Toccata per spinettina sola over liuto, F 8.51
10. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 1, Vanne o carta amorosa
11. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 3, Ardo, e taccio il mio mal
12. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 23, Con dolcezza, e pietate
13. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 12, Non mi negate ohime
14. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 20, Dove ne vai pensiero
15. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 7, Voi partite mio sole
16. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 12, Non vi partite
17. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 19, Doloroso mio core
18. Toccate e partite d'intavolatura, Book 2, F 3 No. 29, Gagliarda terza
19. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 13, Gioite oh selve
20. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 16, Cosi mi disprezzate
21. Toccate e partite d'intavolatura, Book 2, F 3 No. 28, Passacagli
22. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 4, Ohime che fur
23. Arie musicali, Book 1, F 7 No. 6, Maddalena alla croce
24. Toccate e partite d'intavolatura, Book 2, F 3 No. 12, Ancidetemi pur
25. Arie musicali, Book 2, F 7 No. 6, Ti lascio anima mia