Raymond Leppard

Orfeo Raymond Leppard

Monteverdi's Orfeo, produced in 1607 at the ducal palace in Mantua, and considered the first true opera in history, is a masterpiece unique in its art of musical conception and representation, one that continues to inspire the greatest musicians. In this, the third recording that Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and his ensemble I Gemelli have made for Naïve, the voice is the main focus of their lush interpreta-tion highlighting both the aesthetic inherited from the Renaissance and the modernity of this virtuoso work.

This highly acclaimed production, staged in Paris and Toulouse at the end of 2019, is unusual in being directed 'by the voice' - i.e. by the solo tenor, who sings the title role while also conducting all the singers and instrumentalists.

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and the other ten soloists in the cast pay careful attention to the vocal lines, which are richly orna-mented and highly contrasted in their dynamics and moods: a constant tension is maintained bet-ween the narrative and the way the characters inter-vene in it.