The scant attention paid to Bononcini’s music in recording studios obscures its sheer quantity, quality and popularity in Europe during his lifetime. It scored less heavily in London, where, alongside Handel, it was regarded as outdated and conservative; but today we are less concerned with such comparisons and can accept music for what it offers. Given that premise, Bononcini deserves more credit than he has so far received.
Monique Zanetti and Pascal Bertin, two superb and superbly matched voices, plainly share that view, relishing every expressive nuance and achieving clear diction without losing quality of sound; they act the texts. Zanetti impressively conveys Olimpia’s turbulent emotions, especially when she realises she has been betrayed – at which point the non-vocal contingent digs deep in her support; within the smaller emotional range of Misero pastorello Bertin is the shepherd whose fears give way to optimism. The duets are pure pleasure and Luci barbare brings the programme to a teasingly cheerful end. If the two Trio Sonatas sound Corellian it is because so much was owed to him by so many at that time. They stand well on their own feet, a final Minuet in each robbing them of da chiesa status; the Allegro of the G minor Sonata stayed in my mind long after its first hearing.
The instrumentalists are splendidly stylish, adding embellishment and leaning affectionately against appropriate notes, like playing footsie under the table – so too do the singers. The sinuously ‘vocal’ lines of an unidentified violinist reminded me of Monica Huggett or John Holloway! I enjoyed all 61 minutes of this recording, and loved most of it. Recording quality and annotation are first-class.'