Soon to be released on March 15, the new album Divine Impresario by Randall Scotting with the Academy of Ancient Music features recordings exciting and varied enough to win over even the staunchest baroque music skeptic. The album celebrates the great castrato Nicolò Grimaldi, known as Nicolini, who was one of the first to introduce Italian opera to the British Isles. “He started singing when he was twelve, and word spread fast,” said Scotting when I spoke with him about the album. “He became the ‘it’ guy…It was smart to have a singer like Nicolini when Italian opera was coming to London.”
The album opens with “Mostro crudel che fai” from Riccardi Broschi’s Idaspe, the right choice for an opener considering how the aria’s story grabs attention: It is a nude scene in which the character slays a lion onstage. “Eyewitnesses marveled at Nicolini’s bearing in a flesh-coloured costume,” writes Scotting in his program notes. Also marvelous is the energy and activity in the orchestra from the first beat of the aria. One can only imagine what it must have been like to hear and see Nicolini performing this, as audiences loved it enough for Nicolini to sing the role many times. Of Nicolini’s and other castrati’s success, Scotting said, “All castrati that came to London were able to command a high fee. It was not uncommon because they were the big draw. They were an oddity at the time.” An oddity, but clearly adored and trusted, because as Scotting explained, castrati were given not only expensive gifts like gold snuffboxes inlaid with jewels but also free reign of the opera house on benefit evenings where they could perform whatever they wanted.
Despite Nicolini performing many of Alessandro Scarlatti’s operas, no Scarlatti arias were chosen for this album. “I looked at a few of them…They’re a little bit less satisfying for me overall,” said Scotting. “They’re a shorter form, a little bit earlier Baroque, so they’re not usually this kind of da capo, and if they are, they’re a shorter da capo, so I felt like there was less to work with there. I love Scarlatti, I think there are great ideas there, but things progressed past that in a way, and once you get to Gasparini and past, there’s more to dig into as a performer.”
Scotting absolutely digs in and shines in the da capo form, which lets him show off not only the beauty and agility of his voice, but also his musicianship. In the gorgeous “Cara sposa,” for example, we hear the first trill of the album, and Scotting explained that his education up to and including his PhD prepared him for knowing the intricacies of what kinds of trills to use in any given instance. That kind of study and research also helped him feel a connection with Nicolini: “They did so many things back then that singers today don’t have the time or opportunity to do,” he said. “That is similar to doing a PhD, but what getting the doctorate has taught me is a freedom with performing. I have honed instincts for performing that are informed by that research. I trust myself more as a performer and I allow myself to be freer with it because I know I’ve done the work.”
Indeed, one gets the feeling listening to Scotting that his voice will do whatever he wants it to do. In the fast-paced “Come nave in mezzo all’onda,” he treats us to crisp, clean, exciting melismas and cadenzas and lets us indulge in his lower register without feeling like we are listening to two entirely different voices. The mastery he has over his instrument makes it easy to understand why he performs all over the world, from Spoleto to the Metropolitan Opera.
Along with arias, the album included some duets with soprano Mary Bevan. “Spiegami il tuo desio” is the first one, and immediately I loved the mix of these voices, whether they were singing in harmony or unison. In “Per te bell’idol mio” the dissonance between them on the last dominant chord in the cadence pricked up my ears. Through the music itself but also in their diction, Bevan and Scotting made me really feel the dramatic tension in this track. Finally, for “Crudel tu non farai,” I loved the harmonized melismas, and also especially the ending. It felt like the right piece with which to end the album.
Finally, it must be noted how incredible the Academy of Ancient Music is. “They are one of maybe two or three ensembles that you would want to work on this music with,” said Scotting, and let us not doubt it. They have one instrumental piece on this album, the “Sinfonia” from Handel’s Rinaldo, and in that track you can feel the power of a Baroque ensemble even without the voice.
On the evolution of his collaboration with conductor Laurence Cummings from their first album to this one, their third together, he said “It’s now much more comfortable. I’ve gotten to know him a lot better and understand how he leads and conducts. One of the things that’s surprising is that there is not a lot of rehearsal for this. Getting everyone together on the day is a challenge, and Laurence knows exactly what to say. He is an incredible harpsichordist, conductor, and has a beautiful tenor voice. He can feel when you’re needing a breath. He has been conducting Handel operas for decades, but nothing is rote. He knows all the logistics and details, but it’s really in the service of being in the moment with you.”
Whether you are new to Baroque music or are a long-time fan interested in hearing some never-before-recorded arias and a new take on two Handel favorites, Divine Impresario is a celebration of the castrato tradition and countertenor voice that will stay with you long after you’ve finished listening. On a scale of one to ten, I give this album an eleven.
Maggie Ramsey
Divine Impresario: Nicolini on Stage
Randall Scotting (countertenor), Mary Bevan (soprano), Laurence Cummings (conductor), Academy of Ancient Music
Riccardo Broschi – ‘Mostro crudel, che fai?’ (Idaspe); Francesco Gasparini – ‘Porto piagato in petto’ (Ambleto), ‘Per te bell’idol mio,’ ‘Questo conforto’ (Antioco), ‘Sì, t’intendo o core amante’ (Tomiri); George Frideric Handel – ‘Sinfonia,’ ‘Cara sposa,’ ‘Venti turbini’ (Rinaldo, HWV 7a), ‘O notte!…Notte amica,’ ‘Crudel tu non farai’ (Amadigi, HWV 11); Nicola Porpora – ‘Spiegami il tuo desio,’ ‘Come nave in mezzo all’onda’ (Siface); Francesco Mancini – ‘È vano ogni pensiero’ (Idaspe Fedele); Attilio Ariosti – ‘Nò, non piangete nò’ (Tito Manlio); Giovanni Antonio Giaj – ‘Pensa se ancor’ (Mitridate)
Top image: Randall Scotting
All photos by Jarek Duk