Audio Review: Péchés d’ Opéra – Rossini, Salons, & Horn Virtuosi

Péchés d’ Opéra – Rossini, Salons, & Horn Virtuosi
Alessandro Denabian, Natural Horn
Lucia Cirillo, Mezzo-Soprano
Francesca Bacchetta, Fortepiano

Following his album, Paris 1804, Alessandro Denabian, has presented another beautifully mastered product. Featuring arrangements and duets of Italian opera arias, Péchés d’ Opéra contains repertoire from some of the great opera composers including Rossini, Donizetti, Puzzi, Mercadente, and others. In this beautifully recorded album, Denabian combines his natural talents on the natural horn with the elegant voice of Lucia Cirillo and Francesca Bacchetta on fortepiano.

As you listen to this album and Denabian’s other recordings, it is remarkable to take in the sound he produces through the natural horn. At many points, the listener would never know if Denabian is performing on a modern or a natural horn. While the track “Fantaisie sur les airs de L’Agnese et de la Molinara” has the reminiscence of a “Carnival of Venice”, Denabian can quickly add a dark, mysterious sound to the harmony in the arias such as “Une larme furtive.”

All in all, Péchés d’ Opéra demonstrates the wonderful tone of a natural horn and shows off the virtuoso talents of Alessandro Denabian. By adding the graceful voice of Cirrilo and being grounded by the fortepiano playing of Francesca Bacchetta, this album is a wonderful resource of music to some of the great arias and original compositions written by opera’s great Italian composers.

Track List:

• Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
  • Prélude, Thème et Variations for horn & piano, from Péchés de vieillesse (Vol. IX)
• Giovanni Puzzi (1791-1876) & Paolo Bonfichi (1769-1840)
  • Ah che forse in tai momenti*
• Antoine Clapisson (1779-1857)
  • Fantaisie pour piano et cor sur des thèmes de l’Opéra d’Otello de Rossini 06:27
• Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
  • Fuis, laisse-moi after the duet Dacché tornasti, ahi misera from Roberto Devereux
• Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870)
  • L’appel du chasseur after the aria La caccia from Serate Italiane arr. for mezzo-soprano, horn & piano by Jacques-François Gallay
• Frédéric Nicolas Duvernoy (1765-1838)
  • Mes Adiex: Nocturne for horn & piano
• Agostino Belloli (1778-1839)
  • Pot-Pourri Sopra vari motivi dell’Opera il Pirata* for horn & piano, after Vincenzo Bellini’s (1801-1835) opera Il Pirata
• Gaetano Donizetti
  • L’Amor Funesto : Romanza for mezzo-soprano, horn & piano
• Giovanni Puzzi & Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816)
  • Fantaisie sur les airs de L’Agnese et de la Molinara for horn & piano
• Gaetano Donizetti
  • Une larme furtive (after the aria Una Furtiva lagrima from L’Elisir d’amore) arr. for mezzo-soprano, horn & piano by Jacques-François Gallay

Click here to purchase the album

Click here to learn more about the album

Click here to read my review of his album Paris 1804

Learn more about Alessandro Denabian

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this recording free from Alessandro Denabian. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”