Iestyn Davies; Jonathan Cohen: Arcangelo - Porpora: Cantatas

Young countertenor Iestyn Davies makes his much anticipated Hyperion solo debut with an enchanting disc of cantatas from the Italian composer Nicola Porpora. Davies�s luminous tone has a celestial purity and he performs with prodigious technical assurance. Unfazed by the composer�s intricate passagework and elaborate ornamentation, his astonishing breath control creates a seamless melodic line. Davies is accompanied by the ensemble Arcangelo in interpretations that go far beyond historical understanding.In a productive career that spanned 70 years, Porpora wrote some 135 secular canatas, twelve of which were dedicated to His Royal Highness Frederick Prince of Wales, a great patron of the arts and an amateur musician. Porpora�s ability to set the Italian language to music was widely acknowledged during his lifetime and his music is full of imaginative word painting. Davies�s remarkable skill in characterization, and his innate ability to go straight to the heart of both text and music, make this the perfect affiliation.