Simone Kermes & Vivica Genaux - Rival Queens - CD

Various: Simone Kermes & Vivica Genaux - Rival Queens version on CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Sony on 23. September 2016.

Simone Kermes and Vivica Genaux. In it, the two experts on baroque music stage for us a historical feud and rivalry between two great operatic divas of the 18th century. Since Simone Kermes and Vivica Genaux are known to be good friends, one can look forward to a relaxed aural experience and enjoy the full drama of these challenging singing parts. The key word is drama. Kermes and Genaux pay tribute to the "rival queens" Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni. "Primadonna" and "diva" - these words were given meaning by two famous singers of the early 18th century, Cuzzoni and Bordoni. In the cultural capitals of the Baroque era, opera was a popular musical event and entertainment for the upper classes. The fashionable waves of the genre and the enthusiasm of its audiences and "fans" can only be compared to today's big pop stars. In terms of cult status and lifestyle, divas Cuzzoni and Bordoni were no match for today's superstars. Followers argued passionately over whether Bordoni or Cuzzoni was the better singer. On 8 June 1727, this dispute spilled over to the two prima donnas. When the two performed together in Bononcini's opera Astianatte at London's King's Theatre, they literally clashed on an open stage. It was a ready meal for the press and an excellent PR campaign for Bordoni and Cuzzoni. Since then, they've made a real fortune. Their fees for the season, converted to today's currencies and ratios, were in the six figures. On the CD "Rival Queens", Simone Kermes and Vivica Genaux offer us a wonderful selection of baroque arias and duets based on this exciting story. The collection includes works by Handel, Hasse, Giacomelli and Sarr, some of which have never been recorded before, but also two arias from Bononcini's "Astianatte". It's an irony of fate: based on this nearly 300-year-old competition between singers, Kermes and Genaux give us in 2014 an uncomplicated and harmonious gift for the lively lightness of Baroque opera. Very human and without whimsical diventum. On the CD "Rival Queens", Simone Kermes and Vivica Genaux interpret impressively virtuosic numbers from Baroque opera with total stylistic assurance and extraordinary dexterity. Listen to an exciting episode in musical history.

Album spans genres Rock, Pop, Stage & Screen, Pop Rock and Soundtrack.