“Dilettantism” nowadays carries pejorative overtones of amateurish dabbling, though it originally signified the taking of pleasure (“diletto” in Italian) in what one does. Countertenor Xavier Sabata’s new album forces us to re-examine the word’s meaning by exploring the work of a group of aristocratic Italian composers from around the turn of the 18th century: social constraints prevented their ever becoming professional musicians, so they wrote only for private performance. It’s an ear-opener in several ways. The music itself is ravishing. The chamber cantata was by and large the preferred genre, and works such as Benedetto Marcello’s Lucrezia and Emanuele d’Astorga’s In Queste Amene Selve elaborate upon and distil the concentrated style of Monteverdi and Cavalli rather than imitating the flamboyance of Handel or Vivaldi. Then there’s Sabata’s singing, intelligent yet risky, and frequently deploying baritonal chest tones as well as his immaculate alto. There’s exceptional playing from Latinitas Nostra under Markellos Chryssikos, too. Outstanding.
