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Infinite Refrain – Music of Love
Claudio Monteverdi - Giovanni Legrenzi - Alessandro Stradella - Tarquinio Merula - Francesco Cavalli - Jacopo Melani - Daniele da Castrovillari - Girolamo Frescobali - Giovanni Antonio Boretti

Infinite Refrain – Music of Love's Refuge

Randall Scotting

Label: Signum Classics
Format: CD
Barcode: 0635212076927
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Catalog number: SIGCD 769
Releasedate: 03-11-23

The very first of its kind, a concert album of 17th-century gay love duets and arias for two men

There are four modern-day premieres of works by the little-known composers Boretti, Melani, and Castrovillari; including a moving duet for the lovers Hercules and Theseus as they exit the underworld hand-in-hand.  

Established nearly 50 years ago, the Academy of Ancient Music is an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque music. Known for bringing music vividly to life in committed, vibrant performances, the AAM is distinguished as the most listened-to period-instrument orchestra online with over one million monthly listeners on Spotify.

The first of its kind, this duet album is a musical journey that draws back the curtain which has obscured gay love-stories for centuries. In the 17th century, Venice offered a liberal safe haven of sorts to the gay community of greater Europe. There are accounts of outed artists escaping to Venice to live and work amongst its more permissive culture. Almost 400 years later, we reconnect with this uncommonly tolerant place and time to share a history that is yet untold.

The album includes vivid and charming duets from Monteverdi’s 7th book of madrigals as well as his touching musical love letters (lettere amorose). Additionally, there are four modern-day premieres of works by the little-known composers Boretti, Melani, and Castrovillari; including a moving duet for the lovers Hercules and Theseus as they exit the underworld hand-in-hand. Solo arias by Cavalli and Stradella depict the yearning of hidden love, and the recording culminates with one of the most beautiful duets of all time, ‘Pur ti miro’ from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. This album is a recognition and celebration of gay love that spans the centuries.