De Nebra: Venus y Adonis

Description

World Premiere: José de Nebra's Venus and Adonis, the Spanish Rameau!José de Nebra was to Spanish opera what Rameau was to French opera: a pioneer and architect of the genre's overhaul in the 18th century. His pastoral melodrama 'Venus y Adonis' is recorded here for the first time, nearly 300 years after its creation, by Alberto Miguélez Rouco and his ensemble Los Elementos. The conductor, a specialist in the composer, offers a rediscovery of the splendor of Nebra's work and the singularities of the exuberant Hispanic Baroque, too often overlooked. Sung exclusively by women, 'Venus y Adonis' blends Italian style with traditional Spanish turns, featuring castanets and numerous borrowings from the zarzuela. On one of the most illustrated subjects in mythology, the work juxtaposes comedy and seriousness, with more sensitive arias, such as the heartbreaking farewell aria of Adonis.