Virtuosissima cantatrice

Barbara Strozzi, Virtuosissima cantatrice

This disc is the first volume in a series devoted to the historic organs of the Route Royale international festival between Nice and Turin. Recorded on the magnificent Concone organ at Breil-sur-Roya, this program, chosen with Alice Duport-Percier, is devoted to the 17th-century Italian composer Barbara Strozzi. As my friend Jean-François Lattarico, who wrote a fine introduction to this disc, so aptly puts it, Barbara Strozzi was both libertine and devout. With her Opus V, she offers us a true masterpiece of the genre, expressing with rare intensity the vocal virtuosity of the 17th century, directly descended from Caccini and Monteverdi, and the expression of human passions.

I would like to thank all the contributors who made this recording possible, and especially the Sancta-Maria in Albis association, the Mairie de Breil-sur-Roya and all the Festival's supporters. 

The historic organs of the Route Royale International Festival, and especially the organs of the Roya Valley, still have a great deal to tell us and offer us. Following on from René Saorgin's magnificent first recordings and the work of Silvano Rodi, founder of the Festival, this new series of recordings will enable you to rediscover the splendor of this magnificent and unique heritage. 

Franck Marcon,
Artistic Director, Festival International de la Route Royale des orgues

O Maria
Sacri musicali affetti - Opus 5
Barbara Strozzi (1619 - 1677)
“Virtuosissima cantatrice”

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583 - 1643)
Libro secondo, 1637 - Toccata settima

Luigi Rossi (1597 - 1653)
Passacaille

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583 - 1643)
Libro secondo, 1637 - Canzona prima

Alice Duport-Percier, soprano

Franck Marcon, organ