Episode 29 – Black Oak Ensemble / Silenced Voices

From Chicago-based composter Stacy Garrop comes INVICTUS, Latin for “unconquered.” The work unfolds across four movements and an interlude, moving between lyrical introspection, fierce determination, and triumphant resolve, with Grammy-nominated pianist Marta Aznavoorian and the Chicago Philharmonic under the direction of Artistic Director Scott Speck. Available 5/8.

Haymarket Opera Company presents early-18th-century master Leonardo Vinci’s rare operatic gem, Artaserse (1730). A prominent figure of the Neapolitan School of opera, whose work influenced composers such as Johann Adolph Hasse and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Vinci’s three-act opera seria centers on the Persian prince, Artaserse, who must bring his father’s murderer to justice amidst betrayal, deceit, and mistaken identity.

In anticipation of the June 12 digital single release of Mischa Zupko:Harpsichord Concerto, this month’s playlist features that very instrument and its many personalities. There’s delicacy in Lully’s Passacaille contrasted by Soler’s muscular Keyboard Sonata No. 81 in G Minor. Appearing both accompanied and unaccompanied, the harpsichord takes center stage this month.

Enjoy Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.