Aristocratic demand for dramatic, intimate, plaintive duets proved a useful source of income for several 17th-century composers, eager to show their prowess at setting texts for the fashionable countertenor voice; Handel, of course, but also the lesser-known Steffani, Bononcini, Caresana and Marcello. Filippo Mineccia and Raffaele Pe unite here to give us a masterclass in this mellifluous repertoire, their diamond-bright voices flashing with colour and character. Claudio Cavina directs with an expert ear for this beguiling music’s narrative drive, aided by exquisitely sensitive cello, baroque harp, theorbo and harpsichord accompaniment.
