Monteverdi: Pur ti miro (I gaze upon you) from L'Incoronazione di Poppea

Philippe Jaroussky, described by Germany’s Die Zeit as “the Apollo of countertenors’, stands out among his many talented contemporaries as much for the soprano-like beauty of his tone as for the elegance and insight of his interpretations and his adventurous and erudite approach to repertoire – whether unearthing neglected scores by little-known composers or venturing beyond the Baroque into the 19th and 20th centuries.

Established as one of Virgin Classics’ bestselling artists, Jaroussky, now aged 34, has been honoured three times in the Victoires de la Musique awards in his native France and has also received Germany’s most prominent music prize, the Echo Klassik. His diverse achievements are saluted in two new collections on Virgin Classics – the 2CD set “The Voice” and the DVD and Blu Ray “La Voix des rêves: Greatest moments in Concert”.

“LA VOIX DES RÊVES - Greatest Moments in Concert” (available on DVD & Blu Ray) features video footage from a number of occasions and venues – including items from a concert given among the crystal chandeliers of the splendid Galerie des Glaces in the palace of Versailles, and works by Handel and Vivaldi performed in another jewel of French Baroque architecture, the sumptuously decorated Chapelle de la Trinité in Lyon. Also included are exclusive interviews an array of fellow musicians: Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Emmanuelle Haïm, Christina Pluhar; Jérôme Ducros, Quatuor Ebène, Gautier Capuçon, Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Renaud Capuçon.

Jaroussky and his appeal were aptly summarised in a recent profile in the French magazine Balthazar: “Philippe Jaroussky alternates between opera and recitals, bringing his sensual, graceful voice and matinee idol looks, and this has made him a key star of classical music. But his recordings also reveal a skilled musicologist who has revived numerous forgotten artists like the castrato Carestini [and the composers] Johann Christian Bach and Caldara. Jaroussky simply glows. Anyone who has had the opportunity to meet him will find it hard to forget his enthusiastic conversation and his magnetic gaze.”

The singer made his passions clear in an interview with Crescendo magazine, revealing that “I don’t like being told I have the ‘voice of an angel’, because that would just mean that it sounds pretty and takes people out of themselves … I want to be able to evoke more human emotions too: sorrow, despair, jealousy.” Speaking to the leading French newspaper Le Monde, he went into more detail on his philosophy as a maturing singer: “Ten years into your career, you reach a certain level of purity in your approach. You are always set on improving – strengthening your high notes, your low notes, your projection or your expressivity – but you also accept what it means to be an artist.”

Following the best-seller 'Love Songs' with Brad Mehldau and a new recording of Berlioz’s 'Les Nuits d’été' with Marc Minkowski, 'Sogno Barocco' is the third project from eclectic Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter on naïve, which she toured 2010-11.

Dedicated to early Italian opera protagonists such as Poppea, Penelope, Diana and Helena, this clever programme gathers baroque hit duets such as “Si Dolce è’l tormento” or “Pur ti miro” and the previously unreleased Provenzale cantata or Rossi’s Lamento of the Swedish Queen . . . This delicate and subtle series of baroque jewels is performed with an amazing cast, starring French soprano Sandrine Piau, in 3 breathtaking duets, and baroque rising-star conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, one of the current darlings of Italian baroque.

This new release is offered with a 76-page booklet including complete sung texts and essays by Von Otter, Alarcón and musicologist Vincent Borel. It also includes 3 instrumental pieces by Cavalli in world premiere recordings.

Since her early success in Glyndebourne’s now famous production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Danielle de Niese has become most closely associated with the music of the Baroque. The New York Times commented: “A voice seductive enough to woo gods as well as mortals”.

With her third solo album, Danielle de Niese embodies the Beauty of the Baroque with an album of arias from the English, German, and Italian traditions, accompanied by the leading European Baroque orchestra, The English Concert, under Harry Bicket. Many popular arias feature, including Handel’s, ‘Ombra mai fu’, and highlights from JS Bach’s Cantatas are contrasted with much loved solo songs by Purcell and Dowland.

Decca’s star countertenor Andreas Scholl joins Danielle de Niese for duets including the ravishing duet “Pur ti miro” from Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea.

This, L’Arpeggiata’s first release on Virgin Classics, explores music by Claudio Monteverdi, blending instruments and voices – including those of countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and soprano Núria Rial in a kind of intoxicating baroque jam session. It includes the final duet from L’incoronazione di Poppea, often cited as one of the most sensuous and beautiful love scenes in all opera.

Founded in 2000, L’Arpeggiata is a French-based ensemble directed by Austrian-born harpist and lutenist Christina Pluhar. Its members, some of the leading European soloists in their field, join forces with exceptional singers from the worlds of baroque and traditional music. The group’s particular focus is on French, Italian and Neapolitan music of the 17th century and it works with often daring instrumental improvisations, exploiting rich textures created by blending a variety of plucked instruments, and a vocal style influenced by traditional music.

The group tours extensively and its recordings on Alpha and Naïve have sold over 200,000 copies. Christina Pluhar describes L’Arpeggiata as "an international cocktail of musicians with lots of character. There is a basic ensemble of regular players and then they are joined by other performers for each project. I choose not to work with the same singers all the time, preferring to give myself the option of looking for voices that seem to me to be perfect for specific repertoire … There are so many different ways of using the human voice and I think there is so much experimentation one can do, even in early music. When I’m accompanying vocal music, I try to go as far as I can in terms of improvisation, searching for colours which reflect the voice of the chosen singer and which determine and support feelings. Emotions are very close to the surface in speech, the singer’s voice, and in the words whose meaning we’re trying to convey.

This recording was made in the celebrated Vredenburg concert hall in Utrecht, where L’Arpeggiata was resident ensemble at the Festival Oude Muziek in 2006.

‘The marvellous part-early part-jazz group L'Arpeggiata gave us a brilliantly conceived programme of improvisations.’ The Daily Telegraph

‘A range of styles are explored…with a genial ease that belies the technical brilliance and musicianship without which it couldn’t possibly work. Aside from their superb music-making, the players convey a sense of utter conviction in what they are doing’ Gramophone

‘If you haven't met baroque harpist Christina Pluhar and her group l'Arpeggiata, then it's time you did.’ BBC Radio 3

Philippe Jaroussky, described by Germany’s Die Zeit as “the Apollo of countertenors’, stands out among his many talented contemporaries as much for the soprano-like beauty of his tone as for the elegance and insight of his interpretations and his adventurous and erudite approach to repertoire – whether unearthing neglected scores by little-known composers or venturing beyond the Baroque into the 19th and 20th centuries.

Established as one of Virgin Classics’ bestselling artists, Jaroussky, now aged 34, has been honoured three times in the Victoires de la Musique awards in his native France and has also received Germany’s most prominent music prize, the Echo Klassik. His diverse achievements are saluted in two new collections on Virgin Classics – the 2CD set “The Voice” and the DVD and Blu Ray “La Voix des rêves: Greatest moments in Concert”.

“THE VOICE” 2 CD Best of Philippe Jaroussky comprises 31 tracks chosen by the singer himself and six previously unreleased tracks of music by Handel and Purcell. Vivaldi takes pride of place on the album, but other composers include Caldara, Porpora and JC Bach and, from later eras, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn and even Argentina’s King of Tango, Ástor Piazzolla.