La Virtù de' Strali d'Amore

Francesco Cavalli (1602–76) was one of the most prolific opera composers of his day. La Virtù de' Strali d'Amore—the first work Cavalli wrote to librettos by Giovanni Faustini during the 1640s—is characteristic, following directly from Monteverdi. Reams of recitative are interrupted by relatively short solos and ensembles, more declamatory than melodic, while the plot is a tangle of romantic relationships that demonstrates—as the title indicates—the power of Cupid's arrows, which are stolen and misused by a mortal. At the human level, two couples are kept apart by longings for others, while among the gods, Cupid frets over his mother's philandering and his wife's independence. Meanwhile, a sorceress tortures a prince who refuses to submit to her advances. In the end, all turns out well thanks to divine intervention and dramatic revelations. In this nicely mounted 2008 production from the Teatro Malibran in Venice, Fabio Biondi leads his original-instrument group Europa Galante in a vigorous reading of the score (performing the violin solos himself), while the large cast—including Giacinta Nicotra, Gemma Bertagnolli, and Juan Sancho—serves up uniformly good vocals. The sets are sparse, but the vaguely 19th-century costumes are interesting, the staging is adequate, and this rarely performed piece does have historical interest. Presented in DTS 5.0, Dolby Digital 5.0, and PCM stereo, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)