Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is naturally an iconic work for Leonardo Garcia Alarcón. The Argentinian conductor has performed and matured his interpretation of Monteverdi’s masterpiece throughout his life. Together with his group of soloists, the Namur Chamber Choir and the Cappella Mediterranea ensemble, he now presents his vision of L’Orfeo: Monteverdi’s opera is as much the apotheosis of the Renaissance as a testimony to the nascent Baroque style. This is what strikes us when we listen to this new recording, which so eloquently emphasises the contrasts between sometimes nostalgic glances towards the past and the most innovative expressions of operatic language. The printed score, published two years after the premiere in Mantua in 1607, offers contrasts too: is it the snapshot of a specific performance or a ‘blueprint’ intended for future performers? In fact, it is both, and that is where we find the tricky questions that must be answered by those who open this precious document; Leonardo Garcia Alarcón does so here in a manner at once respectful, inventive and theatrical.

Cast:
- Orfeo: Valerio Contaldo (tenor)
- La Musica, Euridice: Mariana Flores (soprano)
- La Messaggiera: Giuseppina Bridelli (mezzo-soprano)
- La Speranza, Proserpina: Ana Quintans (soprano)
- Plutone: Alejandro Meerapfel (baritone)
- Caronte: Salvo Vitale (bass)
- Pastore I, Spirito III, Eco: Nicholas Scott (tenor)
- Pastore III, Apollo: Alessandro Giangrande (countertenor)
- Pastore II: Carlo Vistoli (countertenor)
- Ninfa: Julie Roset (soprano)
- Pastore IV: Matteo Bellotto (bass)
- Sprito: Philippe Favette (bass)