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Leo
Leonardo Leo (1694-1744)
Daniel Heartz wrote: "During the 1720s Leo was renowned enough to receive
commissions from Rome and Venice, but he wrote little in the way of serious
opera for Naples. Compare this with Vinci's output, or Hasse's seven operas in
six years for the San Bartolomeo (1725-1731). Only with the death of Vinci in
1730 and Hasse's departure from Naples the same year did the field open wide for
Leo. Also to be taken into consideration is that Pergolesi failed to please in
Naples with his serious operas. These considerations help explain how Leo became
the leading composer of serious opera in Naples, but not until the 1730s.
Although older than Vinci, Hasse, and Pergolesi he became in a certain artistic
sense their successor. His solid craftsmanship and many sacred compositions also
placed him in the succession of Alessandro Scarlatti." from Music in European
Capitals, The Galant Style 1720-1780, page 130.
Links
Leonardo Leo, Compositore
di Musica - Napoli
Portrait of Leonardo Leo (partial image of an anonymous portrait)
Recordings
| Leonardo Leo (1694-1744). Decebalo (Naples
1743). Bongiovanni GB 2412/13 (2 CDs 2006). Lorenzo
Tozzi, Orchestra Romabarocca Ensemble, Collegio Stravagante
(Bucharest).
Details. [Another
site]. Decebalo: Adrian George Popescu, countertenor;
Giulia: Julia Surdu, soprano; Flavio Clemente: Angelo Manzotti,
sopranist; Domiziano: Sorin Dumitrascu, bass; Domizia: Ruxandra
Ibric Cioranu, soprano. This is the worst recording I have heard
in many years. The conducting, the orchestral performance, and
Manzotti's singing are absolutely dreadful, and the two other
male soloists are worse than mediocre. The soloists were
close-miked, except in the overture, when the out-of-tune and
out-of-sync orchestra can be heard in its full incompetence. The
plodding recitative is so deadly dull that I skipped over it
after the first two scenes. Manzotti makes a strong case for
those who would ban falsettists with his smeary squeals and out
of tune, screaming cadenzas. What an embarrassment for all
concerned! It's a great opera, however, and deserves to be
revived by those with the ability to do so competently.
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 Leonardo
Leo. Miserere: Sacred Music from the Royal Chapel, Naples.
Decca 460 020-2 (1 CD 2002). Christophe Rousset, Les Talens
Lyriques. Sandrine Piau, soprano; Anne-Lise Sollied, soprano;
Hilary Summers, contralto; Jean-François Novelli, tenor; Renaud
Delaigue, bass.
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 Leonardo
Leo. La Musica per Stanza. Tactus TC693702 (1 CD 2004).
Marcello Gatti, transverso. Cosimo Prontera, La Confraternita
de' Musici.
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 Leonardo
Leo. Serenata e Cantate. Tactus TC693701 (1 CD 2001).
Cristina Miatello & Emanuele Bianchi, sopranos. Cosimo Prontera,
La Confraternita de' Musici.
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| Leonardo Leo. Six Cello Concertos. BIS
CD1057 (1 CD 2001). Hidemi Suzuki, cello. Makoto Akatsu,
Orchestra Van Wassenaer.
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JP Reissued on CD311057 (2004): US
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 Leonardo
Leo. Six Cello Concertos. Atma 22126 (1 CD 1998). Anner
Bylsma, cello. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
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 Leonardo
Leo. Miserere Mei Deus: Sacred Vocal Music. ASV GAU 226
(1 CD 2001). Geoffrey Webber, The Choir of Gonville & Caius
College, Cambridge.
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 Leonardo
Vinci & Leonardo Leo. L'Opera Buffa Napoletana. Opus 111
OPS 30184 (1 CD 1997). Tesori di Napoli, Vol. 3. Roberta
Invernizzi, soprano. Antonio Florio, Capella della Pietà
de'Turchini.
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JP |
 Pergolesi,
Leo, Jommelli, Traetta, Galuppi, Paisiello, Piccinni & Sacchini.
Arie del'700 Italiano. Hungaroton HCD 32253 (1 CD 2004).
Details. Mónika González, soprano. Fabio Pirona, Savaria
Baroque Orchestra. Includes comparative settings of "Se cerca,
se dice" from L'Olimpiade by Pergolesi, Paisiello &
Piccinni and "Lieto così talvolta" from Pergolesi's Adriano
in Siria.
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JP |
 G.B.
Pergolesi. Messa a 5 Voci. Musique napolitaine des
archives portugaises. K617 159 (1 CD 2004).
Details. Also included: Leonardo Leo, Sinfonia from
Demetrio; Antonio Gallassi (c.1750-c.1790), Te Deum;
David Perez (c.1710-1778), Trio. Luiz Alves da Silva,
countertenor & director; Mathias Weibel, violin & director,
Ensemble
Turicum.
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| Gregorio Allegri, Francesco Scarlatti, Giovanni
Moro da Viadana & Leonardo Leo. Miserere. Naïve Astrée
E8846 (1 CD 2001). Graham O'Reilly, Ensemble William Byrd.
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Books
 Daniel
Heartz. Music in European Capitals: The Galant Style,
1720-1780. 1078 pages. Norton, 2003.
Review.
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| Reinhard Strohm. Essays on Handel and
Italian Opera. Collection of Strohm's essays, some published
in English for the first time. Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Contents include "Handel's pasticci", among which was Catone
(London 1732), based on Vinci's second setting of Metastasio's
Catone in Utica (Venice 1729).
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www.newolde.com/leo.htm
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Leonardo
Leo. Miserere: Sacred Music from the Royal Chapel, Naples.
Decca 460 020-2 (1 CD 2002). Christophe Rousset, Les Talens
Lyriques. Sandrine Piau, soprano; Anne-Lise Sollied, soprano;
Hilary Summers, contralto; Jean-François Novelli, tenor; Renaud
Delaigue, bass.
US |
UK |
DE |
FR |
CA |
JP
Leonardo
Leo. La Musica per Stanza. Tactus TC693702 (1 CD 2004).
Marcello Gatti, transverso. Cosimo Prontera, La Confraternita
de' Musici.
US |
UK |
DE |
FR |
CA |
JP
Leonardo
Leo. Miserere Mei Deus: Sacred Vocal Music. ASV GAU 226
(1 CD 2001). Geoffrey Webber, The Choir of Gonville & Caius
College, Cambridge.
US |
UK |
DE |
FR |
CA |
JP
Pergolesi,
Leo, Jommelli, Traetta, Galuppi, Paisiello, Piccinni & Sacchini.
Arie del'700 Italiano. Hungaroton HCD 32253 (1 CD 2004).
Details. Mónika González, soprano. Fabio Pirona, Savaria
Baroque Orchestra. Includes comparative settings of "Se cerca,
se dice" from L'Olimpiade by Pergolesi, Paisiello &
Piccinni and "Lieto così talvolta" from Pergolesi's Adriano
in Siria.
US |
UK |
DE |
FR |
CA |
JP
G.B.
Pergolesi. Messa a 5 Voci. Musique napolitaine des
archives portugaises. K617 159 (1 CD 2004).
Details. Also included: Leonardo Leo, Sinfonia from
Demetrio; Antonio Gallassi (c.1750-c.1790), Te Deum;
David Perez (c.1710-1778), Trio. Luiz Alves da Silva,
countertenor & director; Mathias Weibel, violin & director,
Ensemble
Turicum.
UK |
FR |
DE
Daniel
Heartz. Music in European Capitals: The Galant Style,
1720-1780. 1078 pages. Norton, 2003.
Review.
US |
UK |
DE |
FR |
CA |
JP