“A work bursting with riches … This powerful operatic tragedy is one of the highlights of Vivaldi’s canon”, says the Vivaldi expert Frédéric Delaméa who, with the conductor Diego Fasolis has reconstructed the never-performed version of Farnace that Vivaldi prepared for Ferrara in 1737-38. In this world premiere recording, the magnificent cast is led by the brilliant countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic in the title role.

This is not only the first time the Ferrara Farnace has been recorded, but also the first time it has been heard, since the planned performances in the city in 1738 were cancelled following the local failure of the Vivaldi opera that preceded it, Siroe.

It is possible that Vivaldi in fact never completed this dramma per musica – the score of the first two acts only is extant, preserved in Vivaldi’s own personal library – but the third act has been reconstructed by the conductor Diego Fasolis and the Vivaldi expert Frédéric Delaméa.