For his second recital album for BIS, countertenor and sopranist Nicolò Balducci, ‘a singer of a remarkably sweet sound and distinct vocal agility’ (Gramophone), presents arias that evoke love and pain, two basic ingredients of Italian opera in the 18th century. Often tailor-made for specific singers who were in some cases the foremost castrati from that era such as the legendary Farinelli, these arias expressed resolute valour, unbridled fury and sometimes extreme guilt, to the delight of audiences that enjoyed these operas with their far-fetched narratives inspired by mythology or historical events. For this album, Nicolò Balducci is accompanied by the Baroque Academy Gothenburg Symphony under the direction of renowned recorder player Dan Laurin. Together, they perform well-known arias by Handel, from Vivaldi’s long neglected operas, as well as by lesser-known composers such as Riccardo Broschi (Farinelli’s brother) and Egidio Duni.