This Warner Classics/Erato release comes with various photos and general reflections on the Amazon theme by the photogenic mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre, perhaps aimed at broadening the appeal of what was seen as a rather obscure collection of music. There was no need; the real interest in this album lies where it should, in the program and the performances. A glance at the list of composers reveals plenty of unfamiliar names, and three-fifths of the pieces have never been recorded before. The program was developed by Yannis ...
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This Warner Classics/Erato release comes with various photos and general reflections on the Amazon theme by the photogenic mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre, perhaps aimed at broadening the appeal of what was seen as a rather obscure collection of music. There was no need; the real interest in this album lies where it should, in the program and the performances. A glance at the list of composers reveals plenty of unfamiliar names, and three-fifths of the pieces have never been recorded before. The program was developed by Yannis François with attention to what would work for and appeal to Desandre; it's unusually organic in this regard. The arias are Italian and French, mostly from the 17th century, with Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte, RV 710, and Desandre is an ideal interpreter for them, with agility in the ornamentation, a good deal of star quality, and power when it's needed. The main attraction is the music, which reveals a vein of fascination with the Amazons of Greek mythology that until now has...
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