Martellacci/Lopez/Natale/Auser Musici/Ipata: Cesti: Le Disgrazie d'Amore

Antonio Cesti (1623-1669) is ­sometimes bracketed with Monteverdi and ­Cavalli as one of opera's great pioneers, and in Le Disgrazie d'Amore (1667), we are very conscious of a composer ­experimenting with a genre that has yet to perceive itself fully in terms of an evolving tradition. The opera calls itself a dramma giocosomorale , and its ­dramaturgy derives not so much from classical drama and philosophy as from medieval allegories and ­morality plays. The titular misadventures of love ­involve Cupid in a series of ­picaresque spats, first with Venus, Vulcan and a gang of unruly Cyclops, then with such types as Deceit, ­Flattery, Friendship and Avarice. It's like nothing else in the repertoire, though its uniqueness also renders it dramatically unwieldy. Some of its humour is laboured – a joke about Venus really being a ­raddled old slapper proves ­interminable – and it's also very apparent that Cesti was more interested in allegorical types than in discredited Roman ­deities. It's nicely done, with some fine ­playing from Auser Musici under Carlo Ipata. Male ­soprano Paolo Lopez is an ­alluring ­Cupid, but Gabriella ­Martellacci ­(Flattery) and ­Carlos Natale (Deceit) have the best ­music and give the ­finest performances.