Jakub Józef Orliński‘s new album ‘Beyond’ with music by early baroque composers

Jakub Józef Orliński‘s sixth project with Erato features music by early baroque composers, including Monteverdi, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Kapsberger, Saracini, Netti, and Jarzębski. Musicologist Yannis François researched the program and uncovered some extraordinary repertoire, now recorded for the first time – there are 10 world premiere recordings​.

With this album – says Orliński – and this very specifically selected programme, I want to focus on the general meaning of word ‘beyond'.

Beyond comprises vocal and instrumental music provided by Il Pomo d'Oro. Most of the repertoire is 17th-century Italian, the earlier phase of the Baroque era. Among the 18 composers are familiar names – Monteverdi, Cavalli, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Strozzi – and lesser-known figures such as Netti, Saracini, Kapsberger and Jarzębski. Nine of the vocal pieces are world premiere recordings.

Orliński says that he wants “to show people that this music is beyond its times. It is still relevant, it is still alive, vibrant, touching, engaging and entertaining … But the aim is also to go beyond the frame of a classical music concert …”

François acted repertoire expert for as Orliński's previous collections of arias – Anima Aeterna and Facce d'amore. He intended that the album was not a succession of tracks but “a real concert, with some pieces running directly into the next, improvised instrumental transitions and a carefully considered succession of moods, tonalities and musical themes”. The programme includes items from operas, cantatas, serenades and individual songs.

François feels that the ‘headline' composer for Beyond is Giovanni Cesare Netti. He says,

I found his manuscripts by chance as I was doing my research and I was struck by the beauty of his compositions.

Netti was born in the southern Italian region of Puglia in 1649 and trained as a musician in Naples, where he made his career and died in 1686.

The variety in his scenes is incredible. Sometimes, within a single scene, a character will be given a sequence of several recitatives and several arias which have totally different textures and colours in the orchestra – as can be heard here in Berillo's scene from Netti's opera La Filli (also known as La moglie del fratello).

The scene, making its first appearance on a recording, embraces three arias.

Another of the world premiere recordings on the album is by Francesco Cavalli, well-known for works such as Calisto, Egisto and Ormindo. The aria here is ‘Incomprensibil nume' from the rarely heard Pompeo Magno, in which the Roman general Pompey gives thanks to the god who has granted him victory in battle.

We are going to take you on a journey which will really fly you off to some new places, beyond the places you know – says Orliński.

TRACKLIST CD & DIGITAL– BEYOND  

[* = World Premiere]

Claudio MONTEVERDI

1. E pur io torno (Ottone) – L'Incoronazione di Poppea – aria
2. Voglio di vita uscir – canzone a voce sola (SV 337)

Johannes Hieronymus KAPSBERGER

3. Kapsberger – Libro quarto d'intavolatura di Chitarone – zither solo

Giulio CACCINI

4. Amarilli, mia bella – madrigale a voce sola, Le nuove musiche

Girolamo FRESCOBALDI 

5. Così mi disprezzate – aria di passacaglia (F 7.16), Primo libro d'arie musicali per cantarsi

Barbara STROZZI

6. L'Amante consolato – Cantate, ariette e duetti, op.2

Francesco CAVALLI

7. Incomprensibil nume (Pompeo Magno) – Pompeo Magno *

Johann Caspar KERL

8. Sonata for 2 violins and Continuo in F major – instrumental only

Claudio SARACINI

9. Udite, lagrimosi spirti d'Averno – Le seconde musiche, n°1 

Carlo PALLAVICINO

Sinfonia – Demetrio * instrumental only

10. I. Grave
11. II. Affettuoso
12. III. Presto
13. IV. Adagio

Pietro Paolo CAPPELLINI

14. Tarantella (Chi vuol ch'il cor gioisca) * joyeux et festif

Giovanni Cesare NETTI*

Act I, scene 9 (Berillo) La moglie del fratello

15. Misero core (aria)
16. Datti pace Berillo…Sì, sì scioglia sì…  (recitative – aria)
17. Ah che miei voi non siete (recitative)
18. Dolcissime catene (Berillo) (aria)

Antonio SARTORIO

19. La certezza di sua fede (Pompeiano) – Antonino e Pompeiano *

Giovanni Cesare NETTI

20. Quanto più la donna invecchia (Crinalba) – L'Adamiro*

Biagio MARINI

21. La vecchia innamorata (instrumental version) – Scherzi & canzonette, op.5 – instrumental only

Giovanni Cesare NETTI

22. Son vecchia, patienza (Crinalba) – L'Adamiro *

Giuseppe Antonio BERNABEI

23. A battaglia, sù, mio core (Eugerio) – Il segreto d'amore in petto del Savio *

Adam JARZĘBSKI

24. Tamburetta – concerto a 3 voci & continuo (c.1627) – instrumental only

Giovanni Battista VITALI *

Donde avvien che tutt'ebro – contralto cantata with strings & continuo

25. Sinfonia
26. Donde avvien che tutt'ebro (recitative)
27. Nell'anglica sede (aria)
28. Maria germe real del tronco estense (recitative)
29. Frema l'Erebo adirato (aria)
30. Ma di fatti sì, degni (recitative)
31. Se nuncia fedel con tromba sonante (aria)

Carlo Francesco POLLAROLO *

32. Come allor che più densi…
33. Son tanto avvezzo a piangere – La Costanza gelosa negl'amori di Cefalo e Procri 

Sebastiano MORATELLI

34. Lungi dai nostri cor (Amore) – La Faretra smarrita

TRACKLIST LP – BEYOND

[* = World Premiere]

Side A

Giulio CACCINI

1. Amarilli, mia bella

Girolamo FRESCOBALDI

2. Così mi disprezzate 

Claudio SARACINI

3. Udite, lagrimosi spirti d'Averno

Francesco CAVALLI

4. Incomprensibil nume *

Claudio MONTEVERDI 

5. Voglio di vita uscir

Biagio MARINI

6. La vecchia innamorata (instrumental version)

Giovanni Cesare NETTI

7. Son vecchia, patienza *

8. Quanto più la donna invecchia *

Side B

Giuseppe Antonio BERNABEI

1. A battaglia, sù, mio core *

Giovanni Cesare NETTI

Act I, scene 9 (Berillo) La moglie del fratello

2. Misero core (aria)

3. Datti pace Berillo…Sì, sì scioglia sì…  (recitative – aria)

4. Ah che miei voi non siete (recitative)

5. Dolcissime catene (aria)

Pietro Paolo CAPPELLINI

6. Tarantella (Chi vuol ch'il cor gioisca) * 

Giovanni Battista VITALI

Donde avvien che tutt'ebro *

7. Sinfonia

8. Donde avvien che tutt'ebro (recitative)

9. Nell'anglica sede (aria)

10. Maria germe real del tronco estense (recitative)

11. Frema l'Erebo adirato (aria)

12. Ma di fatti sì, degni (recitative)

13. Se nuncia fedel con tromba sonante (aria)

Sebastiano MORATELLI

14. Lungi dai nostri cor (Amore)

Artists:

Jakub Józef Orliński Tracks CD & Digital 1, 2, 4-7, 9, 14-20, 22, 23, 25-33 // LP Side A 1-5, 7, 8; Side B 1-14

Il Pomo D'Oro Tracks CD & Digital 1-33// LP Side A 1-8; Side B 1-14

Tour Dates:

24 October                              Wroclaw [Opera Wrocławska]                          

26 October                              Warsaw [Warsaw Philharmonic]     

29 October                              Valencia Palu des arts

31 October                              Oviedo Philharmonie

2 November                            Murcia TBC

6 November                            Paris, Philharmonie                                                    

8 November                            Brussels, Bozar                                              

10 November                          Toulouse, Capitole                                                  

12 November                          Montpellier (Opéra comedie) 

14 November                          Bordeaux                 

17 November                          Luzern [KKL]                                                   

19 November                          Amsterdam [Concertgebouw]                          

21 November                          Cologne [Cologne Philharmonie]                      

22 November                          Arnhem [Stadstheater]                                    

24 November                          Essen [Philharmonie]                                      

26 November                          Lisbon [Gulbenkian]                                        

28 November                          Luxembourg [Philharmonie – Main Hall]            

30 November                          Berlin [Philharmonie Großer Saal]                     

2 December                             Linz [Musiktheater]  

4 December                             Versailles

6 December                             Torino Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi