Composers: Cavalli
Compositions: Opera arias
Performers: Philippe Jaroussky ct, Artaserse
Catalogue Number: Erato 9029551819

What a delight is this latest and somewhat provocatively-titled recording (after all, it’s not that Ombra mai fu!) from superstar countertenor Philippe Jaroussky. For two reasons: the music – utterly exquisite – and the performances – again, utterly exquisite. If Claudio Monteverdi contributed to opera’s birth, his pupil Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) was there for its riotous teenage years. Of his 33 operas, 27 still survive, of which the more than 20 items here seek to give some idea of their variety and invention.

But first, to...