The 18th century was the great time of the castrati, they celebrated the greatest triumphs in opera. But gradually the tenor voice also gained more and more weight, until it finally dominated the great roles in bel canto. One of those who strongly influenced this development was Annibale Fabbri, known as "Balino", whose voice would today be described as a "pure lyric tenor". Because of the beauty of his voice and his incomparable stage presence, he achieved great fame and received invitations to all the great stages of Europe.
This album presents those roles that famous composers of the time such as Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Sarro, Handel or Caldara wrote for Fabbri, and at the same time follows the stations of Fabbri's performances throughout Europe, from Rome, Naples and Venice to London and Vienna. Tenor Marco Angioloni and the ensemble Il Groviglio succeed in making an impressive plea for a long-neglected voice of baroque opera in the first third of the 18th century. © Pan Classics