1. Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major (1737): 1. Andante grazioso
2. Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major (1737): 2. Con bravura
3. Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major (1737): 3. Larghetto, con poco moto – mezza voce
4. Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major (1737): 4. Fuga.
5. Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major (1737): 5. [Allegro di molto]

6. Cello Concerto No. 5 in F minor (undated): 1. Andante grazioso
7. Cello Concerto No. 5 in F minor (undated): 2. Allegro
8. Cello Concerto No. 5 in F minor (undated): 3. Segue il cantabile – Largo e gustoso
9. Cello Concerto No. 5 in F minor (undated): 4. Allegro

10. Cello Concerto No. 4 in A major (1738): 1. Andante piacevole
11. Cello Concerto No. 4 in A major (1738): 2. Allegro
12. Cello Concerto No. 4 in A major (1738): 3. Larghetto e gustoso
13. Cello Concerto No. 4 in A major (1738): 4. Allegro

14. Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1738): 1. Andante grazioso
15. Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1738): 2. [Con spirito]
16. Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1738): 3. Amoroso – mezza voce
17. Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1738): 4. Allegro

18. Cello Concerto No. 1 in A major (1737): 1. Andantino grazioso
19. Cello Concerto No. 1 in A major (1737): 2. Allegro
20. Cello Concerto No. 1 in A major (1737): 3. Larghetto a mezza voce
21. Cello Concerto No. 1 in A major (1737): 4. Allegro

22. Sinfonia concertata (Cello Concerto No. 6) in C minor (1737): 1. Andante grazioso
23. Sinfonia concertata (Cello Concerto No. 6) in C minor (1737): 2. Molto presto
24. Sinfonia concertata (Cello Concerto No. 6) in C minor (1737): 3. Larghetto
25. Sinfonia concertata (Cello Concerto No. 6) in C minor (1737): 4. Allegro

Anner Bylsma - Cello
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Jeanne Lamon - Musical Director 

Leonardo Leo (1694-1744) was one of the leading Neapolitan composers of his day, famed in particular for his theater and church music; most notable among his instrumental works are the six cello concertos.

Cellist Anner Bylsma is perhaps best known for his interpretation of music from the baroque and early classical periods. He is a member of outstanding ensembles as the Leonhardt Consort, La Petite Bande, and he forms a trio with Hans Brüggen and Gustav Leonhardt, one of Europe's best known chamber groups. Mr. Bylsma is among the most-recorded musicians in the world of early music. ---prestomusic.com

18th-century Neapolitan composer Leonardo Leo was best known for his operas and sacred music, but he also contributed some finely crafted, idiomatic, delightfully inventive instrumental works, including these six cello concertos from the late-1730s. The melodic writing shows the engaging style of a savvy opera composer, and likewise the slow movements exude an emotional range on the level of the period's more sophisticated arias. In this re-issue from a 1984 session, we hear cellist Anner Bylsma at the peak of his Baroque-cello interpretive powers, his cello's voice out-front, with big, singing tone, his style extrovert yet fully in the spirit of Leo's congenial solo writing.

And while the writing can be quite challenging for the soloist, these works aren't just show-off pieces spotlighting the cello, with the orchestra serving a secondary role. Indeed, the orchestra generally is a true partner, its function tightly integrated with the soloist's--and Leo further sustains our interest by varying structural and harmonic details from movement to movement and concerto to concerto. And speaking of orchestras: at this time Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra was among a handful of top period-instrument ensembles, and its contribution here is solid and sure, energetic and vibrant, even if the rhythmic precision and clarity of articulation isn't what we expect--and hear--20 years later from world-class groups such as Les Violons du Roy.

Also, the recording ambience, the domain of a Toronto church, is distractingly resonant, the sound characterized by an "artificial", processed quality that gives the instruments a larger-than-life presence. Still, this is very good playing of some very entertaining music that's well worth hearing, especially if you'd like a nice alternative to the late works of Vivaldi. ---David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

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1.    Part I: Recitative: Proteo perche fra selve (Amore)
2.    Part I: Aria: Sol chi ben ama (Amore)
3.    Part I: Recitative: Amor, cui Giove in cielo (Proteo)
4.    Part I: Aria: E' un bel piacer (Proteo)
5.    Part I: Recitative: Dunque la Dea (Amore, Proteo)
6.    Part I: Aria: Prato ameno (Endimione)
7.    Part I: Aria: Sieguo l'orme (Diana)
8.    Part I: Recitative: Goda pur altra (Diana)
9.    Part I: Aria: Sempre meglio le belve piagare (Diana)
10.    Part I: Recitative: Che fia? (Diana, Amore, Proteo)
11.    Part I: Aria: Di quel labbro (Diana)
12.    Part I: Recitative: Ohime si sveglia (Diana, Endimione, Amore, Proteo)
13.    Part I: Duet: Che guardi? Che miri (Diana, Endimione)
14.    Part I: Recitative: L'ardor che per quel volto (Diana, Endimione)
15.    Part I: Aria: Se piagommi (Endimione)
16.    Part I: Recitative: M'intenerisco (Diana, Proteo, Amore)
17.    Part I: Aria: Offese, disprezzi (Amore)
18.    Part I: Recitative: Pastor, datti pur vanto (Diana, Endimione, Proteo)
19.    Part I: Aria: Amoretti vezzosetti (Proteo)
20.    Part I: Recitative: Ma ognor cresce 'l mio foco (Diana, Endimione)
21.    Part I: Quartet: Io parto, io resto (All)
22.    Part II: Recitative: O come oltre l'usato (Amore, Proteo)
23.    Part II: Aria: Corre la cerva all'onde (Proteo)
24.    Part II: Recitative: Ma il cervo, l'ape, l'augellin (Amore, Proteo)
25.    Part II: Aria: Ne le sue sponde (Amore)
26.    Part II: Recitative: Troppo non dir tai sensi (Proteo, Amore)
27.    Part II: Aria: Gran diva che siedi (Endimione)
28.    Part II: Recitative: Di poco ei si contenta (Proteo, Amore, Diana, Endimione)
29.    Part II: Aria:Ho provato allontanarmi (Diana)
30.    Part II: Recitative: Ecco la Dea fra selve (Amore, Proteo, Diana)
31.    Part II: Aria: Deh, non v'aprite (Diana)
32.    Part II: Recitative:Vie piu s' accende ognor (Amore, Diana, Proteo)
33.    Part II: Aria: Bacia il rio (Amore)
34.    Part II: Recitative: Deh ti rallegra, o Dea (Proteo, Amore)
35.    Part II: Aria: Il Dio guerriero (Amore)
36.    Part II: Recitative: Sovente il mio german (Diana)
37.    Part II: Aria: Donna illustre (Diana)
38.    Part II: Recitative: Dunque un umil pastore (Endimione)
39.    Part II: Aria: Gode e brilla (Endimione)
40.    Part II: Recitative: Or sappiate che quanto (Proteo, Diana, Amore, Endimione)
41.    Part II: Di Barbara il chiaro (All)

Diana - Monica Bacelli, mezzo-soprano 
Proteo - Danilo Serraiocco, bass
Endimione - Filippo Piccolo, tenor
Amore - Rossella Ragatzu, soprano 

Leonardo Leo Orchestra
Vito Paternoster, conductor 

(Recorded live 3 December 1988 in La Chiesa di San Giovanni, Brindisi)

Leonardo Leo (1694-1744), whose career took off around 1720, was a good two generations in advance of Mozart. Like most of his contemporaries, he was very prolific: Grove lists some sixty operas, the majority of them in the buffa genre. He was a leading figure in Neapolitan opera in his day, but, again like most of his contemporaries, his works barely outlived him. This was not a comment on the quality of his music, but on the nature of the operatic industry at the time which, almost the opposite of today’s, relied on the constant production of new works. Until recently, Leo’s operas were known only to a handful of music scholars, but as, after all, the market can only absorb so many recordings of Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, he has benefited from the general exploration of forgotten music that has been so remarkable a feature of the CD age. L’ambizione delusa is the fourth Leo opera to be recorded, the others being Amor vuol Sofferenza (1739), Decebalo (1743) and L’Alidoro (1740). For anyone interested in how his career developed, it is worth remarking a recording of his early dramatic serenata, Diana Amante (1717), too. None of the earlier recordings has made much impact and so far the attempt to revive interest in Leo has failed to generate the considerable excitement accompanying the rediscovery of the operas of his immediate contemporary and rival, Leonardo Vinci (c.1690-1730). Vinci did a better job of avoiding subsequent comparison with Mozart by abandoning opera buffa in 1722 and thereafter concentrating on opera seria. In his valuable biography of Vinci, Kurt Markstrom suggests that the two Leonardos essentially ‘changed places’ at this juncture, Leo, who had shown an initial preference for opera seria, now taking over the buffa genre. --- David Chandler, musicweb-international.com

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Misereris Omnium, Domine (Introit, Gradual, Tract Versicle For Mass On Ash Wednesday)
1		Misereris Omnium, Domine	2:01
2		Miserere Mei Deus	1:52
3		Adiuva Nos, Deus Salutaris Noster	1:48

Reminiscere Miseratonum (Introit, Gradual, Communion For Mass On The Second Sunday In Lent
4		Reminiscere Miseratonum Tuarum, Domine	1:37
5		Tribulationes Cordis Mei	2:01
6		Intellige Clamorem Meum	3:00

Salva Regina (Ed. Rudolf Ewerhart)
7		Salva Regina, Mater Misericordiae	4:01
8		Ad Te Clamamus	3:00
9		Ad Te Suspiramus	3:47
10		Eia Ergo, Advocata Nostra	3:56
11		O Clemens, O Pia	3:48

Judicame Deus (Introit, Gradual, Communion For Mass On Passion Day)
12		Judica Me Deus	3:11
13		Eripe Me, Domine	1:24
14		Hoc Corpus, Quod Pro Vobistredetur	5:00

Lamentations Of Jeremiah (Good Friday Tenebrae)
15		Lesson I: De Lamentatione Jeremiae Prophetae Heth. Miscordiae Domini	11:26
16		Lesson II: Aleph. Quomodo Obscuratum Est Aurum	8:26
17		Lesson III: Incipit Oratio Jeremiae Prophetae. Recordare Domine, Quid Accederit Nobis	8:55

Bass Vocals – Renaud Delaigue (tracks: 1-6, 12-14)
Contralto Vocals – Hilary Summers (tracks: 1-6, 12-14, 16)
Soprano Vocals – Anne-Lise Sollied (tracks: 4-6, 12-15), Sandrine Piau (tracks: 1-14, 17)
Tenor Vocals – Jean-François Novelli (tracks: 1-6, 12-14)

Cello – Ophélie Gaillard
Double Bass – David Sinclair
Harpsichord, Organ – Christophe Rousset
Violin – Izumi Sato (tracks: 7-11), Makoto Akatsu (tracks: 7-11)

Ensemble – Les Talens Lyriques
Conductor – Christophe Rousset

Leonardo Leo's place in the firmament of Renaissance music is assured with several of his compositions now available in various formats. This latest release on Decca brings together some of his finest works including the monumental "Lamentations of Jeremiah", surely some of the most remarkable pieces ever composed for Good Friday.

Rousset is obviously in his element when conducting this sort of music. As Giovanna Ferrara tells us in her concise albeit excellent notes, Leo was an important part of the musical establishment in 18th century Naples and his compositions for Holy week and Lent were anticipated with particular anxiety by the general public and seasoned musical lovers.

Of the musical pieces included here, the Salve Regina is particularly ravishing for its sense of momentum and good humoured vitality. I have already said that the Lamentations remain Leo's masterpiece and here they are infused with solemnity and mystery by Rousset and his admirable group of singers and players.

The recording is of outstanding quality throughout and the notes also include the full texts and translations for all works. Together with the magnificent Couperin double album also on Decca, Rousset has confirmed his status as a towering interpreter in this sort of repertoire. ---Gerald Fenech, classical.net

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From: http://makdelart.blogspot.com

1. Oratorio di Natale 		1:07:03

Klasja Modrušan – soprano
Valentina Fijačko - soprano 
Miriam Artiaco - soprano
Symphony Orchestra of Croatian Radio and Television
Mladen Tarbuk – conductor

World premiere, Zagreb, 2006.

The son of Corrado de Leo and Rosabetta Pinto, he went to Naples in 1709 and became a pupil of Nicola Fago at the Conservatorio S Maria della Pietà dei Turchini. At the beginning of 1712 his S Chiara, o L’infedeltà abbattuta, a dramma sacro, was performed at the conservatory; from the fact that it was performed again in the viceroy’s palace on 14 February it would seem that Leo’s work attracted unusual attention. On finishing his studies he was appointed supernumerary organist in the viceroy’s chapel on 8 April 1713 and at the same time was employed as maestro di cappella in the service of the Marchese Stella; he is also said to have been maestro di cappella of S Maria della Solitaria.

As early as 13 May 1714 his first opera, Il Pisistrato, was staged. There followed commissions for opera arrangements, intermezzos and serenatas, and in 1718 a second opera, Sofonisba. From Caio Gracco (1720) the list of his opera commissions continues without a break up to his death. In 1723 he wrote his first opera for Venice, and in the same year, with La ’mpeca scoperta, he turned for the first time to the developing genre of Neapolitan commedia musicale; from then on he was regarded as one of the leading composers of comedy.

On Alessandro Scarlatti’s death in 1725 Leo was promoted to first organist of the viceregal chapel. In the following years he lost his supremacy as a composer of serious opera in Naples to his rivals Vinci and Hasse, and between 1726 and 1730 he apparently received no commissions for opera at the Teatro S Bartolomeo in Naples. He did however write serious operas for Rome and Venice, and in Naples he pursued his career as a composer of comic operas. After Hasse’s departure and Vinci’s death in 1730, Leo became the dominant figure in Neapolitan musical life. He succeeded Vinci as pro-vicemaestro and on Mancini’s death in 1737 he became vicemaestro of the royal chapel. He was repeatedly given leave to fulfil commissions for operas elsewhere (1737 Bologna, 1739 Turin, 1740 Turin and Milan), and through the family connections of the Neapolitan royal family he received commissions from the Spanish court. Even greater than his reputation as an opera composer was the esteem he acquired as a composer of oratorios with his settings of Metastasio’s S Elena al Calvario and La morte di Abele.

Leo also became prominent as a teacher: from 1734 to 1737 he taught as vicemaestro at the Conservatorio S Maria della Pietà dei Turchini, in 1739 he succeeded Feo as primo maestro at the Conservatorio S Onofrio and in 1741 he also took over the duties of primo maestro at the S Maria della Pietà dei Turchini in succession to his own teacher, Fago. The Miserere for double choir in eight parts and organ (March 1739) appears to be the first of his works aimed at the reform of church music, closely connected with his activities as a teacher. In both respects he was in competition with Francesco Durante, who taught at the two other conservatories in Naples. On Domenico Sarro’s death (25 January 1744) Leo at last became maestro di cappellaof the royal chapel. He immediately composed a series of a cappella compositions (with continuo) for the use of the royal chapel during Lent and reformed the orchestra of the royal opera, but he died after only nine months in office. --- neapolitanmusicsociety.org

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