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“... four trumpets and war-like drums create a splendid din in the clever Ouverture from Niobe.” - Gramophone "... (Steffani) couldn't have asked for more sympathetic champions in this generous collection of 43 little gems. Fanfare outbursts of natural horns and thundering timpani add a wild edge to an elegant sound without trampling over the refined, lilting articulation." - Limelight "Superbly conducted by Diego Fasolis, these artists make the best case imaginable for Steffani’s music ... color and texture reign supreme, with instrumental combinations chosen to highlight the overtones in Bartoli’s voice ..." - San Francisco Classical Voice Diego Fasolis, the spirited conductor of the wildly successful album Mission, curates this album of music from Steffani’s operas as a companion release to Cecilia Bartoli’s Stabat Mater. Mission created great interest in the music of little-known Italian composer Agostino Steffani, while Fasolis’s conducting thrust him into the spotlight as one of the most dynamic Baroque interpreters working today. The variety of styles in Steffani’s music continues to surprise; with 43 great tracks of enchanting early-Baroque music this collection is set to be another revelation. Fasolis draws sparkling performances from period specialists I Barocchisti in music of a composer whose rediscovery is one of the great finds of our time. The international ensemble I Barocchisti concentrates on vocal and instrumental works of the Baroque period.