Opera composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries found irresistible the allure of the Amazons, the mythical race of female warriors whom no man could match in strength of body or mind. Tonight, mezzo-soprano Léa Desandre joins the Jupiter Ensemble under the direction of lutenist Thomas Dunford for a program of musical portraits of the Amazons by Vivaldi, Cavalli, Bottis, Marais, and others.
Tonight’s program was recorded live in concert January 30, 2023, in London’s Wigmore Hall. Thanks to WFMT’s association with the European Broadcasting Union, we’re able to bring you tonight’s program as a stream for 30 days following the broadcast. A blue “Listen” button will appear when the link is accessible.
Amazone: Jupiter Ensemble & Léa Desandre
Claude Déruet (ca. 1588–1660): Departure of the Amazons
Playlist
Francesco Provenzale (1624-1704)
“Non posso far” from Lo schiavo di sua moglie
Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)
“Sinfonia” from Ercole amante
Francesco Provenzale
“Laciatemi morir” from Lo schiavo di sua moglie
Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani (1638-after 1692)
“Muove il piè, furia d’Averno” from Mitilene, regina delle Amazoni
Georg Caspar Schürmann (ca 1672-1751)
“Sinfonia pour la tempête” from Die getreue Alceste
Carlo Pallavicino (1630-1688)
“Vieni, corri, volami in braccio” & “Sdegni, furori barbari” from Antiope
Anne Danican Philidor (1681-1728)
“Venez, troupe guerrière” from Les amazones
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
“L’Américaine” from Suite d’un goût étranger
André Cardinal Destouches (1672-1749)
“Ô Mort! Ô triste mort” from Marthésie, reine des Amazones
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Overture, first movement from Ercole su’l Termodonte, RV 710
Georg Caspar Schürmann
“Non ha fortuna il pianto mio” from Die getreue Alceste
Antonio Vivaldi
Overture, second movement from Ercole su’l Termodonte RV 710
Giuseppe de Bottis (1678-1753)
“Lieti fiori” from Mitilene, regina delle Amazzoni
Antonio Vivaldi
Overture, third movement from Ercole su’l Termodonte RV 710
“Onde chiare che sussurate” from Ercole su’l Termodonte RV 710
“Scendero, volero, gridero” from Antiope
ARTISTS
Léa Desandre, mezzo-soprano
Jupiter Ensemble: Thomas Dunford lute & artistic director
Louise Ayrton, Augusta McKay Lodge, violin; Jasper Snow viola; Salomé Gasselin, viola da gamba; Arthur Cambreling, cello; Hugo Abraham; double bass; Violaine Cochard, harpsichord & organ;
Keyvan Chemirani, percussion