Cupid’s Floor Bass: Strozzi, uccelini, Farina, Cavalli, Kapsberger, Biber, Monteverdi; Lucine Musaelian, Kieran White, The Bellot Ensemble; FHR Information
Reviewed 26 November 2025
A younger ensemble in a type of intelligently put collectively programmes the place the partaking performances draw you in and with lots of the gadgets on the disc I assumed ‘I would like to listen to extra of that!’
The Bellot Ensemble is a younger interval instrument ensemble that in October 2025 started a two-year time period s the New Era Baroque Ensemble with BBC Radio 3. For his or her debut disc on FHR (First Hand Information), Cupid’s Floor Bass the group explores the sound world of Seventeenth-century Italy via the dual mirrors of affection and the bottom bass. Each common topics for Seventeenth-century Italian music, the disc casts its internet extensively with arias by Barbara Strozzi, Francesco Cavalli and Claudio Monteverdi together with instrumental music by Marco Uccellini, Carlo Farina, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, and Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.
For the disc, the ensemble options Lucine Musaelian (soprano, viola da gamba), Kieran White (tenor), Olivia Petryszak (recorder), Edmund Taylor and Maxim Del Mar (violin), Jacob Garside (cello), Nathan Giorgetti (viola da gamba), Daniel Murphy (theorbo, baroque guitar), and Matthew Brown (harpsichord, organ). We caught Lucine Musaelian and Nathan Giorgetti, as Intesa Duo on the Handel Hendrix Home again in 2023 [see my review]
What the disc is basically exploring is the way in which that Seventeenth-century Italian music expanded its vary and freedom, but the kinds typically remained. Dances and floor basses have been very a lot the norm, but specializing in the bottom bass could be one thing of a problem with a hazard of every thing seeming to come back out of the identical mould. The Bellot Ensemble’s choice is each ingratiating and canny.
On the centre are arias by Barbara Strozzi, Amor dormiglione from her Op. 2 (1651) and Che si puro far? (1664) ; Francesco Cavalli from Gli amori d’Apollo e di Dafne (1640), Il Giasone (1649), and his Musiche sacre (1656); Claudio Monterverdi from L’Incoronazione di Poppea (1643) and Scherzi musicali (1632). However these are interspersed with instrumental works together with ones that characteristic solos from Daniel Murphy’s theorbo and Edmund Taylor’s violin. On the one hand, the result’s a finely partaking programme which is fantastically performed and sung, however on the opposite it’s a fascinating exploration of the sheer creativeness Seventeenth-century composers delivered to the repertoire.
The music by Cavalli kinds the core of the disc with arias sung by Kieran White and Lucine Musaelian. Frankly I may take heed to White’s elegant, expressively plangent tenor all day. ‘Misero Apollo’ from Gli amori d’Apollo e di Dafne options the form of lengthy instrumental introduction over a circulating floor bass that’s acquainted from all method of items. However right here the instrumentalists make it their very own and when White lastly is available in, the outcomes are pure magic. The sinfonia from Il Giasone options Olivia Petryszak’s perky recorder, then ‘Delizie, contente’ from the opera is an ingratiating dance with violin solos duetting with White’s clear but expressive tenor. Lastly, Musaelian provides us a neatly elegant and expressive account of ‘Se dardo pungente’ from the identical opera, and regardless of the readability of her line I preferred the way in which she is just not afraid to bend the notes barely for expressive functions
White additionally sings Arnalta’s lullabye ‘Oblivion soave’ from Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea with Daniel Murphy’s theorbo. An intimate, expressive and profoundly lovely efficiency that made me want that, for all of the solecism, Musaelian and White had given us that opera’s last duet. What we do have is the 2 duetting in Monteverdi’s ‘Zefiro torna’, a bit of pure magic.
The disc begins with Musaelian singing Strozzi’s ‘Amor dormiglione’ her vibrant tone making the aria engagingly speedy. And there’s extra Strozzi in the direction of the tip of the disc when Musaelian sings (and apparently performs the viola da gamba) for ‘Che si puo fare?’ Her clear but plangent tones show relatively compelling because the vocal line unwinds over the circulating floor bass that you simply by no means need to finish.
Marco Uccellini’s Aria quinta sopra ‘La Bergamasca’ from his Op.3 (1643) proves to be a full of life dance which supplies Petryszak’s recorder an opportunity to shine. In full distinction Carlo Farina’s Capriccio stravagante a 4: La Lira focuses to a exceptional diploma on drones which take the piece into a distinct world.
Daniel Murphy shows wonderful virtuoso expertise within the theorbo solo Toccata No. 1 by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger. It feels much less like a toccata although and extra an opportunity to point out off! In the course of the disc there are three theorbo solos by Kapsberger, the second two far shorter than the Toccata. Capona proves to be a type of catchy circulating floor basses with all method of melody and divisions over, all performed by Murphy. Canario is comparable however totally different. Each are equally partaking and make catchy punctuation factors.
There’s extra exhibiting off from violinist Edmund Taylor in Biber’s Rosary Sonata No.1 ‘The Annunciation’. Carried out right here with organ and theorbo continuo, it’s nevertheless Taylor’s finely engaged violin taking part in that attracts us in to Biber’s distinctive world, the music transferring from free rhapsodic prelude to vivid divisions.
That is a type of intelligently put collectively programmes the place the partaking performances draw you in and with lots of the gadgets on the disc I assumed ‘I would like to listen to extra of that!’ So please, much more Daniel Murphy exhibiting off and a disc of duets for White and Musaelian. However this disc greater than contents us. Delizie, contente certainly!
Cupid’s Floor Bass
Barbara STROZZI (1619–1677)
1. Cantate, ariette e duetti, Op. 2: No. 22. Amor dormiglione
Lucine Musaelian soprano
Marco UCCELLINI (1603–1680)
2. Sonate, arie et correnti, Op. 3: Aria quinta sopra ‘La Bergamasca’
Carlo FARINA (1600–1639)
3. Pavane, Gagliarde, Libro 2: Capriccio stravagante a 4: La Lira
Francesco CAVALLI (1602–1676)
4. Gli amori d’Apollo e di Dafne, Act III: Misero Apollo
Kieran White tenor
Il Giasone (1649)
5. Sinfonia
6. Act I: Delizie, contenti che l’alma beate
Kieran White tenor
7. Musiche sacre: Canzon à 3
8. Il Giasone: Act I: Se dardo pungente
Lucine Musaelian soprano
Giovanni Girolamo KAPSBERGER (1580–1651)
9. Intavolatura di chitarone, Libro 4: Toccata No. 1
Daniel Murphy theorbo
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
Thriller (Rosary) Sonata No. 1 in D minor, ‘The Annunciation’
10. Præludium
11. Variatio – Aria allegro – Variatio – Adagio – Finale
Edmund Taylor violin
KAPSBERGER
12. Intavolatura di chitarone, Libro 4: Capona
Daniel Murphy theorbo
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567–1643)
13. L’incoronazione di Poppea, SV308, Act II: Oblivion soave
Kieran White tenor
Daniel Murphy theorbo
KAPSBERGER
14. Intavolatura di chitarone, Libro 4: Canario
Daniel Murphy theorbo
STROZZI
15. Arie a voce sola, Op. 8: Che si può fare?
Lucine Musaelian soprano, viola da gamba
MONTEVERDI
Scherzi musicali cioè arie et madrigali, SV 246–251: No. 6. Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti, SV 251
Lucine Musaelian soprano
Kieran White tenor
BELLOT ENSEMBLE
Lucine Musaelian soprano, viola da gamba
Kieran White tenor
Olivia Petryszak recorder
Edmund Taylor, Maxim Del Mar violin
Jacob Garside cello
Nathan Giorgetti viola da gamba
Daniel Murphy theorbo, baroque guitar
Matthew Brown harpsichord, organ
Recorded at St Barnabas Church, Walthamstow, London, UK, 8–11 November, 2024
FIRST HAND RECORDS FHR183 1CD [60.55]
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