CARISSIMI: Complete Motets of Arion Romanus [CD de audio] Ensemble Seicentonovecento, Flavio Colusso and Carissimi

Giacomo Carissimi was one of the dominant figures of the Roman musical scene of the 17th century and went down in history for being one of the creators of the oratorio genre, which transformed the simple praises of the previous century into works of a deeply dramatic nature conceived for soloists, chorus and a group of instruments that could be quite numerous. A nine-disc box set containing all the oratorios that have survived to this day is available from Carissimi in the Brilliant Classics catalogue. This triple box set includes the 28 motets that were published under the title Arion Romanus, which refers to the ancient Greek singer who - according to Latin and Greek mythology - was thrown into the sea by pirates and miraculously saved by a dolphin. From a stylistic point of view, these motets have a very varied structure, with an effective alternation of arias, dramatic recitatives and passages in madrigalistic style. These wonderful examples of sacred literature from papal Rome in the second half of the 17th century are performed by the Ensemble Seicentonovecento directed by Flavio Colusso, which has received a series of highly laudatory reviews from the specialized press around the world for its magnificent comprehensive of Carissimi's oratories. The booklet contains extensive cover notes and biographies of the performers.