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Italian Baroque specialist, Fabio Biondi conducts a fantastic cast in Vivaldi’s opera Ercole sul’Termodonte, first heard in Rome in 1723! Biondi himself brought the score back to life, reconstructing it for performance in Venice in 2007, and subsequently in Paris in 2009. Because no autograph score or contemporary copy of the opera was in existence, Biondi worked from the libretto printed for the first performances in Rome in 1723. He was then able to identify various arias from other Vivaldi scores kept in libraries around Europe, principally in France and Germany. In many cases, he also orchestrated the arias, extrapolating from their musical substance and his intimate knowledge of Vivaldi’s practice. Where no source existed for an aria or chorus, he reconstructed the music by adapting and borrowing from other works by Vivaldi. He also composed all the recitatives.
Biondi is an internationally renowned and highly regarded conductor. His Virgin Classics recording of Vivaldi’s opera Bajazet, was nominated for a Grammy, and won multiple awards including the Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque Lyrique in France, an ECHO Award in Germany, and a Midem Classical Award.
