Handel / Caldara: Basso furioso

While there is no proof of any direct interaction between Handel and Caldara, it seems likely that their paths crossed in Italy between 1706 and 1710. Their careers then diverged, with Handel settling in London and Caldara becoming Vize-Hofkapellmeister to Charles VI in Vienna.

One quality the two composers shared was the central role they both assigned to the bass voice, which is often employed in the "arie di furore" so characteristic of Baroque opera. These are works designed to showcase the voice's range, agility and virtuosity.


In this, his first solo recording, the Bolivian José Coca Loza offers a selection of arias composed by Handel for the great virtuosos of the age like Antonio Montagnana and Giuseppe Maria Boschi, and four Viennese arias written by Caldara for Christoph Praun. Also including various premiere recordings, the album offers a significant contribution to the rediscovery of the Baroque repertoire for bass.

Accompanying the extraordinary Coca Loza is Andrea Marcon conducting La Cetra Basel orchestra on period instruments, a partnership whose acclaimed recording of Bach's Mass in B minor already features in the Arcana catalogue.