Accompanied by the Italian early music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro (English: The Golden Apple), the Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński sings Baroque arias. The program, entitled “Facce d’Amore” includes 8 world premieres and recorded on July 21, 2021, at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. Each piece tells a story that depicts the male figure in the Baroque era – and not only the positive aspects, such as the pleasure of mutual love but also anger and even madness. Spanning a period of almost 85 years, the arias in “Facce d’Amore” are by Handel, Cavalli, Boretti, Bononcini, Conti, Locatelli, Orlandini, and others.
“Il Pomo d’Oro” translates to “The Golden Apple” in English. This phrase is often associated with various myths, particularly those from Greek mythology, where the golden apple is a symbol of temptation and discord, famously linked to the story of the Judgment of Paris.
The Judgment of Paris is a key myth in Greek mythology that tells the story of a beauty contest among the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. To settle a dispute, Zeus appointed Paris, a Trojan prince, to choose the fairest goddess. Each offered him a bribe: Hera promised power, Athena offered wisdom, and Aphrodite tempted him with the love of the most beautiful mortal woman, Helen. Paris chose Aphrodite, which led to the infamous abduction of Helen and ultimately triggered the Trojan War.
Baroque Concert with Il Pomo d’Oro and Jakub Józef Orliński – Program
With the start times in the video:
- 00:00 Nicola Matteis: DON CHISCIOTTE IN SIERA MORENA (1719), Ballo dei Bagatellieri
- 01:14 Francesco Cavalli: LA CALISTO (1661) | Sinfonia, Erme e solinghe cime… Lucidissima face (Endimione)
- 05:52 Giovanni Antonio Boretti: ELIOGABALO (1668), Chi scherza con Amor (Eliogabalo)
- 08:47 Giovanni Antonio Boretti: CLAUDIO CESARE (1672), Sinfonia | Crudo amor non hai pieta (Claudio)
- 11:38 Giovanni Bononcini: LA NEMICA D’AMORE FATTA AMANTE (1693), Sinfonia
- 15:52 Giovanni Bononcini: LA COSTANZA NON GRADITA (1694), Infelice mia costanza (Aminta)
- 22:06 Nicola Matteis: DON CHISCIOTTE IN SIERA MORENA (1719), Ballo dei Bagatellieri
- 28:56 Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: DON CHISCIOTTE (1719), Odio, vendetta, amor (Fernando)
- 33:15 Luca Antonio Predieri: SCIPIONE IL GIOVANE (1731), Finche salvo e l’amor suo (Scipione)
- 40:30 Pietro Antonio Locatelli: CONCERTO A QUATTRO op. 1 no 11 en ut mineur, Largo – Allemanda (allegro) – Sarabanda (largo) – Giga (allegro)
- 50:25 Giuseppe Maria Orlandini / Johann Mattheson: NERONE (1723), Che m’ami ti prega (Nerone)
- 57:17 Nicola Fago: IL FARAONE SOMMERSO (1709), Alla gente a Dio diletta
- 1:03:13 George Frideric Handel: RICCARDO PRIMO, RE D’INGHILTERRA HWV 23 (1727), Aria Riccardo, Agitato da fiere tempeste
Jakub Józef Orliński
Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński has quickly emerged as one of the most vibrant performers on the international classical music scene, triumphing on stage, in concert, and on the recording.
An exclusive artist on the Warner/Erato label, his first recording Anima Sacra has garnered critical accolades and earned him the prestigious Opus Klassik award for Solo Vocal Recording. His sold-out concerts and recitals throughout Europe and the United States have attracted new followers to the art form, and his live performance of Vivaldi’s “Vedrò con mio diletto”, filmed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2017, has amassed more than four million online views.
Television appearances, including the “Concert de Paris” at the Eiffel Tower and “Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris”, both with the Orchestre National de France and Les Victoires de la Musique Classique awards concert accompanied by the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon, have been broadcast to millions worldwide. Last year he was the subject of a major profile in The New Yorker and featured in Polish Vogue.
His second album release – entitled Facce d’amore featuring Baroque operatic arias written for romantic male characters – was released in November 2019 and toured throughout Europe with Il Pomo d’Oro. He is also featured on Warner recordings of Agrippina opposite Joyce di Donato and on a disc of selections with L’Arpeggiata with Christina Pluhar.
Jakub Józef Orliński graduated from the Juilliard School in 2017 and immediately began his international career as Orimeno in Cavalli’s Erismena in his debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. He followed this with his role debut in the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo at Oper Frankfurt in a stunning production by Ted Huffman.
While still at Juilliard, he debuted with the Händel-Festspiele in Karlsruhe with the music of Handel and Vivaldi; at Carnegie Hall in New York; as well as with the Houston Symphony. He also collaborated with Les Arts Florissants in Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater conducted by Paul Agnew; performed with Music of the Baroque in Chicago under Jane Glover; and on tour with the English Concert under Harry Bicket as Eustazio in Rinaldo with performances in London, Seville, Madrid, and New York.
Another production of Rinaldo – again in the title role – served as his United Kingdom operatic debut at the Glyndebourne Festival. He performed Unulfo in Rodelinda in both Frankfurt and Lille (DVD with Emmanuelle Haïm) and has performed concerts with numerous groups throughout Europe and the U.S.
Mr. Orliński has triumphed in multiple vocal competitions:
- Winning first place at the Oratorio Society of New York’s 2016 Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition
- Second prize in the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, the first and second annual International Early Music Vocal Competitions in Poland, where he received “Special Mention” and “Special Prize”, respectively
- First prize at Rudolf Petrák’s Singing Competition in Slovakia, third place at the Debut Competition in Igersheim, Germany
- Special Mention at the Eighth Annual Mazovian Golden Voices Competition in PolandTthird place at Le Grand Prix de l’Opera in Bucharest, Romania.
- Mr. Orliński’s star rose rapidly following major competition wins on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2016 and the Marcella Sembrich International Vocal Competition in 2015.
While completing his Master’s degree in vocal performance by studying with Anna Radziejewska at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, he participated in the prestigious young artist program Opera Academy in Teatr Wielki-Opera Narodowa, where he studied with Eytan Pessen and Matthias Rexroth. Mr. Orliński earned his Graduate Diploma at The Juilliard School, studying with Edith Wiens. He was also a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship in the years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.
In his spare time, Mr. Orliński enjoys breakdancing, in addition to other styles of dance. His achievements in this arena include prizes in many dance competitions: fourth place at the Red Bull BC One Poland Cypher competition, second place in the Stylish Strike – Top Rock Contest, and second place at The Style Control competition, among others. He has also been featured in a commercial for the street wear company CROPP, as well as featured as a dancer, model, and acrobat in campaigns for Levi’s, Nike, Turbokolor, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, MAC Cosmetics, Dannon, and Algida.
Jakub Józef Orliński is an exclusive Erato/Warner Classics artist.
Il Pomo d’Oro
Il Pomo d’Oro is a prize-winning orchestra founded in 2012 and named after the opera Il pomo d’oro by Antonio Cesti. The opera narrates the tale of the Judgment of Paris, a pivotal myth in Greek mythology. In this story, the gods ask the Trojan prince Paris to choose the most beautiful goddess among Venus (Aphrodite), Juno (Hera), and Pallas (Athena). Each goddess offers him a tempting bribe: Juno promises power, Athena promises wisdom, and Venus promises the love of the fairest mortal woman, Helen of Sparta. Paris ultimately awards the Golden Apple of Discord to Venus, igniting the jealousy of the spurned goddesses.
In retaliation, Juno and Athena conspire against Paris, leading to significant conflict, including the famous Trojan War. The opera adds a twist; to resolve the ensuing chaos, Jupiter (Zeus) turns to the audience and humorously awards the Golden Apple to Empress Margaret Theresa, highlighting the opera’s blend of mythology with contemporary elements.
The ensemble specializes in the Historically informed performance of music from the Baroque and Classical periods which it performs and records led by its own lead violinists Federico Guglielmo and Zefira Valova, or by guest conductors including Maxim Emelyanychev (chief conductor since 2016), Riccardo Minasi, Stefano Montanari, George Petrou, Enrico Onofri, Francesco Corti, Zefira Valova and the Stradella specialist Andrea De Carlo.
Sources
- Jakub Józef Orliński’s official website
- Jakub Józef Orliński on Wikipedia
- Baroque Concert with Countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski [Pieces by Handel, Cavalli, Boretti & others] - October 12, 2024
- Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 [Janine Jansen] - October 11, 2024
- Cecilia Bartoli sings Ombra Mai Fu [From Händel’s Serse] - October 10, 2024