Francesco Cavalli was successor to Monteverdi and the most influential opera composer in Venice during the mid-17th century. His dramma per musica, Il Xerse, was innovative for the period, with a tangled plot of affections and relationships based on history rather than mythology. Its enormous success was due in no small part to Xerse’s bizarre and overblown character and his famous declaration of love for a tree, ‘Ombra mai fu’. Cavalli’s Il Xerse is commedia dell’arte theatre that creates an exotic world aimed at inspiring awe in its audiences, enhanced with music that conveys an avalanche of emotions.

The audiovisual premiere performance of this release has previously been available from the Dynamic label (DYN-37983/DYN-57983) released in June.

The strong cast for this production is led by countertenor Carlo Vistoli (Xerse) who has worked closely with conductors such as William Christie and John Eliot Gardiner.

Award-winning Italian mezzo-soprano Gaia Petrone (Arsamene) graduated magna cum laude in singing at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and has performed widely as a soloist in numerous leading roles.

Soprano Carolina Lippo (Romilda) has worked in numerous renowned Italian and international theatres and festivals, and recorded a variety of roles for record and audio-visual labels.

With its taste for instrumental virtuosity and a deep knowledge of historical styles and performance practice, the Baroque Orchestra Modo Antiquo is considered one of the best early music ensembles on the international scene. Founder of Modo Antiquo, Federico Maria Sardelli, has conducted in all of the major concert venues in Europe and has more than 40 recordings to his credit, for labels including Naïve and Deutsche Grammophon. This is a Naxos debut for both Sardelli and Modo Antiquo.

Cast:
- Xerse: Carlo Vistoli (countertenor)
- Amastre: Ekaterina Protsenko (soprano)
- Arsamene: Gaia Petrone (mezzo-soprano)
- Romilda: Carolina Lippo (soprano)
- Adelanta: Dioklea Hoxha (soprano)
- Ariodate: Carlo Allemano (tenor)
- Aristone: Nicolò Donimi (bass)
- Periarco: Nicolò Balducci (countertenor)
- Elviro: Aco Bišćević (tenor)