Pietro Porfiri (1640-1714)
Chamber Cantatas for solo voice, Opus I, Bologna 1692
Within this CD is brought to light a completely forgotten composer, the priest Pietro Porfiri from Marche. Very little is known about him, and the works included in this album are taken from a collection of secular cantatas he published in 1692, just at the time when this kind of music was widespread by publishers all over Europe, particularly in Italy. The beautiful voices of soprano Pamela Lucciarini and countertenor Alessandro Carmignani bring to light an unexpected musical writing, where Porfiri demonstrates a mastery of style, in search of innovative solutions extremely audacious for its time. The basso continuo is by the period instruments ensemble, Laboratorio Armonico, featuring highly skilled early music artists.