The performers on this recording have excavated music that until now has been all but unknown, even among specialists: it was edited from original sources and prepared for performance by the conductor, Peter Leech. Henry Benedict Stuart was a Cardinal but not quite a King or even a Pretender: he spent his life mostly in the Papal States but went to France in the 1740s to try to assist in the abortive effort of his brother, Bonnie Prince Charlie, to restore the Stuart monarchy. Later in life, in Rome, he was a patron of ...
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The performers on this recording have excavated music that until now has been all but unknown, even among specialists: it was edited from original sources and prepared for performance by the conductor, Peter Leech. Henry Benedict Stuart was a Cardinal but not quite a King or even a Pretender: he spent his life mostly in the Papal States but went to France in the 1740s to try to assist in the abortive effort of his brother, Bonnie Prince Charlie, to restore the Stuart monarchy. Later in life, in Rome, he was a patron of music, not only of the sacred variety. Try the madrigals by Giovanni Zamboni (Toccata missed an opportunity here by not seeking out NHL sponsorship). They are a very odd combination of the emotional gestures of the traditional madrigal with Rococo and early Classical musical language. Sample O memorie funeste for something very much like nothing you've ever heard before. The sacred pieces are likewise expressive, mostly with solo singers and a small choir accompanied by organ or, in a...
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