Premiera 2024-11-20Hasse's Fiery Serpents in the Desert with a star castIt is a who's who of countertenors and male sopranos: the recording of Johann Adolf Hasse's Serpentes ignei in deserto brings together a unique crew around Philippe Jaroussky in the leading role, including Jakub Józef Orliński, David Hansen and Bruno de Sá.
Conductor Thibault Noally emphasizes the extraordinarily high demands of Hasse's oratorio: "The elaboration of the arias varies between extreme virtuosity and lyrical bel canto full of depth and restraint. Each character is very different from the others." Anyone familiar with the biography of the now almost forgotten Hasse will not be surprised by the many virtuoso singing parts. After all, Hasse, who was born near Hamburg in 1699 and is almost forgotten today, was considered the most important composer of his time. He even cast a spell over the musical metropolis of Venice with his works and wrote for stars such as the castrato singer Farinelli
Hasse originally composed the oratorio Serpentes ignei in deserto for one of the famous Ospedale in Venice, the orphanages that trained girls to become musicians. Hasse took the plot from the Old Testament: when the Israelites fall away from God during the hardships of the Exodus, he punishes them with hordes of poisonous snakes. Only Moses can mediate. While Jaroussky embodies the role of Moses with (vocal) power and temperament, Noally, as conductor and founder of the original sound ensemble Les Accents, pays tribute to the only woman in the cast: "Julia Lezhneva has the strength and the fire for the angel."
Works:
CD 1• Introduzione: I. Grave
• Introduzione: Ii. Fugue
Introduzione: Iii. Adagio
•Recitativo. "Longo Labore Oppressi" (Eliab, Eleazar)
•Aria. "Incerta Vivendo" (Eliab)
•Recitativo Accompagnato. "Ergo Semper, Ingrati!" (Moyses)
•Aria. "Coelo Turbido Et Irato Cadant Fulmina" (Moyses)
•Recitativo. "Tandem Cessent Clamores" (Josue)
•Aria. "Spera, O Cor" (Josue)
• Recitativo Accompagnato. "Magis Semper Protervus" (Angelus, Moyses)
• Aria. "Caeli, Audite, Deplorate" (Angelus)
CD 2• Recitativo. "O Portenta" (Nathanael)
•Aria. "Furit Grando Procellosa" (Nathanael)
•Recitativo Accompagnato. Recitativo Accompagnato. "Tu, Qui a Coelo Dilectus"
•Aria. "Dolore Pleni" (Eleazar)
•Recitativo. "Tandem Ultionis" (Angelus, Moyses)
•Aria. "Aura Beata, Plaude Jucunda" (Angelus)
•Recitativo. Ecce Placatum Coelum Nobis Levamen Praebuit" (Josue, Eleazar)
•Duetto. "Moesto Corde Suspirantes" (Josue, Eleazar)
•Recitativo Accompagnato. "Ecce Israel, Tu Vides Omnipotentiam Dei" (Moyses)
•Aria. "Ara Excelsa, Ara Pretiosa" (Moyses)
•Recitativo Accompagnato. "Ecce Conversus Israel Meruit Peccati Veniam" (Angelus)