Description

Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739), noble Venetian, was well loved, his fame rivaling that of Vivaldi, his works known and performed all over Europe. Leading musical figures of his time were quick to declare the importance of his masterwork Estro poetico-armonico, paraphrases in Italian on the Psalms of David by the poet Girolamo Ascanio Giustiniani. These are monuments of their time whose fame was widespread for more than a century; the substance and cultural context of these forgotten masterpieces are indelibly interwoven into the rich tapestry of the European Jewish diaspora. They definitely deserve to be heard anew for their artistic and historic value. Musical director Jay Bernfeld proposes a recorded restitution of a selection of these important works featuring the Israeli mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham and the ensemble Fuoco e Cenere.