Glossa’s series investigating the careers of major Italian Baroque singers continues with an examination of the Neapolitan castrato Domenico Gizzi (1687-1758). Thirteen arias that Gizzi performed in various Roman theatres between 1718 and 1730 are a treasure trove of fascinating music by celebrated Italian composers whose operas are seldom performed or recorded complete but whose names one encounters frequently in specialist literature. I Turchini’s strings seem to occasionally squeeze their way to being in tune but Antonio Florio’s sense of detail is spot-on, such as the delicacy of the gently throbbing accompaniment to the bittersweet lament ‘Crude parche’ from Alessandro Scarlatti’s Telemaco (1718) and pizzicato plucking in the delightful ‘Amor che nasce’ from Vinci’s Didone abbandonata (1726).

All of the music here is scored for soprano, strings and continuo but most of the arias are different in personality and dramatic intention. They enable an intriguing assessment of how far apart Bononcini and Scarlatti are stylistically from the next generation of composers, even though only a few seasons separated their Roman productions. For instance, Bononcini’s old-fashioned plaintive ‘Barbara siete, o Dei’ from L’Etearco (revised for Rome 22 years after its original production in Vienna) is a world away from the galant sway of ‘No, non mi basterà bocca vezzosa’ from Feo’s Andromaca (1730). Robert Invernizzi’s singing is sensational for its classy divisions, intelligent ornamentation and characterful poise. Fluid cascades of rippling coloratura are required in ‘Volo il mio sangue a spargere’ from Porpora’s Adelaide (1723) and are utilised to make a declamatory impact in ‘Cieca nave, infidi sguardi’ from Sarro’s Ginevra (1720). A wider variety of instrumentation might be attractive in future volumes, and such a long booklet essay ought to say at least something about the music!