Officina Romana: A Wonder Lab at the Dawn of the 18th Century Paolo Zanzu, Carlo Vistoli, Le Stagioni

• Antonio Caldara (1670 - 1736):
• 1 Caldara: Il martirio di Santa Caterina: Sinfonia avanti l'oratorio 03:17
• Carlo Francesco Cesarini
• 2 Cesarini: Giunio Bruto: Aria "Che far deggio, ò stelle" 03:06
• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759):
• 3 Handel: Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: Aria "Crede l'uom ch'egli riposi" 06:55
• 4 Handel: Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: Sonata 02:20
• 5 Handel: La Resurrezione, HWV 47: Aria "Naufragando và per l'onde" 05:14
• 6 Handel: Suite de pièces HWV 434: Prelude 00:38
• Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713): Corelli: Sonata Op. 5 No. 9:
• 7 Corelli: Sonata Op. 5 No. 9: Preludio (Largo) 05:35
• 8 Corelli: Sonata Op. 5 No. 9: Gig (Allegro) 02:55
• 9 Scarlatti: Il giardino di rose: Aria "Starò nel mio boschetto" 04:33
• George Frideric Handel:
• 10 Handel: Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: Sonata de l'overtura 05:08
• Nicola Francesco Haym (1678 - 1729): Haym: Sonata No. 1 in A Minor:
• 11 Haym: Sonata No. 1 in A Minor: I. Adagio 01:37
• 12 Haym: Sonata No. 1 in A Minor: II. Allegro assai 00:42
• 13 Haym: Sonata No. 1 in A Minor: III. Adagio 01:34
• 14 Haym: Sonata No. 1 in A Minor: IV. Presto 01:19
• Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1757):
• 15 Scarlatti: Sonata, K 12 03:36
• George Frideric Handel: Handel: Trio Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 in C Minor:
• 16 Handel: Trio Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 in C Minor: Andante 03:03
• 17 Handel: Trio Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 in C Minor: Allegro 02:26
• Alessandro Scarlatti (1660 - 1725): Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa":
• 18 Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa": Introduzione - Adagio - Lento alla francese 03:10
• 19 Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa": Recitativo "Tu sei quella, che al nome sembri giusta" 01:16
• 20 Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa": Aria "Dal nome tuo credei" (Andante) 03:44
• 21 Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa": Recitativo "Fedeltade, né pur ottien ricetto" 01:46
• 22 Scarlatti: "Bella dama di nome Santa": Aria "Il nome non vanta" (Vivace) 04:33
• Total Runtime 01:08:27

Info for Officina Romana: A Wonder Lab at the Dawn of the 18th Century

Following the success of his solo recordings, Paolo Zanzu returns at the head of his ensemble Le Stagioni with ‘Officina Romana’, featuring the countertenor Carlo Vistoli. In the early eighteenth century, Rome was one of the great music capitals of Europe. In the space of a few years, Corelli, Handel, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Caldara, Cesarini and many others crossed paths there, surrounded by painters, sculptors, poets and philosophers who were among the great names of the age. The fruit of long reflection and research, ‘Officina Romana’ crystallises this unique moment in the history of music by recreating an idealised musical evening, a conversazione, a sort of liberal meeting of lofty minds in the palace of a Roman cardinal, with a programme mingling vocal and instrumental music in both orchestral and chamber formation. This programme highlights the creative genius, the estro of the time, its musical and technical inventiveness, combining famous pieces with previously unrecorded ones. The Cristofori fortepiano also makes an appearance here: Cardinal Ottoboni owned one.

Carlo Vistoli, countertenor
Le Stagioni
Paolo Zanzu, direction

Carlo Vistoli
Born in 1987 in Lugo. After studying classical guitar and piano, Carlo Vistoli began his vocal training as countertenor in 2007, with William Matteuzzi and Sonia Prina. He also participated in masterclasses with Monica Bacelli, Romina Basso, Marijana Mijanović and Sara Mingardo. He attended the Conservatorio «Girolamo Frescobaldi» in Ferrara (Renaissance and Baroque Singing) as well as Alma Mater University in Bologna (Cultural Heritage).

Carlo was a Finalist in both the 2012 «Pietro Antonio Cesti» Baroque Singing Competition in Innsbruck and the 2013 «Sacred Music» Competition in Rome, and he was awarded First Prize at the 2012 «Cleto Tomba» Competition in Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna); the Audience Prize and the “Farinelli” Prize at the 2012 «Città di Bologna» Competition; Second Prize at the 2013 «Francesco Provenzale» Baroque Singing Competition in Naples; and First Prize at the 2013 «Renata Tebaldi» Competition (Baroque Section) in San Marino.

He makes his operatic debut singing the Sorceress in Purcell's Dido & Aeneas in Cesena and Ravenna. Opera highlights to date include Licida in Mysliveček’s L’Olimpiade at Bologna’s Teatro Comunale; the title role in Handel’s Tamerlano in Poznań with Les Ambassadeurs under Alexis Kossenko; King Arthur in Rimini, Rome and Bologna under Luca Giardini; and his role debut as Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare in Egitto) with Opera Fuoco conducted by David Stern in Shanghai – the first performance of a complete Händel opera in China. He also sings Peritoo in Cavalli's Elena in Nantes and Rennes with Leonardo García Alarcón.

In 2015 Carlo is chosen for Le Jardin des Voix – Les Arts Florissants' baroque academy for young professionals, led by William Christie and Paul Agnew. Within this scheme, he tours France, Australia, Japan, China and Moscow and gives concerts in Paris, at New York’s Lincoln Center and the Lucerne Festival. In June 2015 he makes his debut at the Ravenna Festival in Adriano Guarnieri’s new opera L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle, revived in 2016 at Spoleto's Festival dei Due Mondi. He then sings Febo (Caldara’s Dafne) in Venice under Stefano Montanari, and the Spirit (Dido & Aeneas) at Turin’s Teatro Regio under Federico Maria Sardelli (with whom he sings also in Händel's Dixit Dominus at Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome).

In spring 2016 he takes the role of Ottone (Händel’s Agrippina) in Brisbane, for which he is awarded a Helpmann Award; that production is conducted by Erin Helyard and directed by Laurence Dale. He then sings Arvo Pärt’s Stabat Mater in Turin and at Milan’s MITO Festival with Mario Brunello. In December 2016 he sings Händel's Messiah with William Christie on an European tour.

In 2017, the 450th anniversary year of the death of Claudio Monteverdi, Carlo is engaged in an extensive tour (Europe – Berlin, Edinburgh, Luzern, Paris, Salzburg, Venezia; and America – Chicago and New York) with the English Baroque Soloists and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, playing Umana Fragilità in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and Ottone in L'incoronazione di Poppea. He also participates in L'Orfeo as Pastore in two different productions, with Les Arts Florissants and Cappella Mediterranea. In December, he concludes the year with a European tour with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie, singing the Selva Morale.

In summer 2017, he participates in a new production of Cavalli’s Erismena singing the role of Idraspe at the Aix-en-Provence Festival under the baton of Leonardo García Alarcón, Jean Bellorini directing. This show is revived in Versailles and Saint-Denis. In autumn 2017, he departs for an additional American tour (Berkeley, Bogotá, Los Angeles, Sonoma) of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, singing the Sorceress, again with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie.

In 2018, he sings Ruggiero in Vivaldi's Orlando furioso in a production of La Fenice in Venice, under Diego Fasolis, and Ottone again in L'incoronazione di Poppea, at the Salzburg Festival, William Christie conducting with a new staging by Jan Lauwers. He sings also Artabano in Hasse's Artaserse for Pinchgut Opera, in Sydney. Additional season highlights include Händel's Jephtha in Hannover, Israel in Egypt in Oslo with Accademia Bizantina, Bach's Johannes-Passion with Enrico Onofri in Lisbon.

In 2019 he sings Ulisse in Sacrati’s La finta pazza in Dijon with Leonardo García Alarcón and the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, conducted by Gianluca Capuano and with Robert Carsen's acclaimed staging. A new tour with Sir John Eliot Gardiner also involves Carlo as Athamas in Händel’s Semele, with concerts in Barcelona, London, Paris, Rome and Milano’s Teatro alla Scala. He also sings Narciso in Händel's Agrippina with Joyce DiDonato for an European tour and L'Ospite in a new production by Teatro La Fenice in Venice of Sciarrino's Luci mie traditrici.

Highlights of the 2020 season include a new production of Vivaldi's Farnace (title role), in Teatro La Fenice – with Diego Fasolis and staged by Christophe Gayral –, the role of Goffredo in Händel's Rinaldo in Sydney and Ottone in Agrippina in Teatro alla Scala di Milano – again with Gianluca Capuano and Robert Carsen. In 2021 he will sing Goffredo again in Lausanne and the title role in Giulio Cesare in Egitto with Andrea Marcon.

Carlo works with various ensembles specialized in baroque music: in addition to those mentioned above, Les Ambassadeurs, Les Accents, Cappella Gabetta, Concerto Italiano, Les Musiciens du Louvre and Il Pomo d’Oro.

He has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, Bongiovanni, Brilliant, Ricercar, Soli Deo Gloria and Tactus. His two solo recitals Arias for Nicolino and Amor tiranno have been both published by Arcana.

Paolo Zanzu
After his studies in Italy, at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM), and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with Orio Buccellato, Noëlle Spieth, Christophe Rousset, Carole Cerasi and Patrick Cohen, he started a career as a harpsichord and fortepiano soloist, that has taken him to major international venues (BBC Proms, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Cartagena International Music Festival , Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Festival de Radio Frances Occitanie Montpellier).

'Having studied with the greatest performers and teachers, Paolo Zanzu is now one of the major figures in the harpsichord world in Europe and in the world. […] He leads an inspiring career as a concert artist and teacher.’ (France Musique)

Booklet for Officina Romana: A Wonder Lab at the Dawn of the 18th Century