Il Dolce Conforto, Celesti sirene: heavenly voices behind monastery walls

Il Dolce Conforto reveals the hidden musical life of 18th-century Italian nuns: aristocratic women who, in the seclusion of their community, were given the chance to grow into exceptional musicians. Within the convent walls, they studied opera, set up salons and theaters, and ordered new music from the top composers of their time. Heavy-handed? Forget that: the music of Niccolò Piccinni, Nicola Porpora, Gennaro Manna, and contemporaries sounds surprisingly light, virtuosic, and compelling! Passion cantatas for the Goede Week are not burdened by an overdose of somber seriousness, but boast elegant melodies and prominent soprano parts. And then there is the psaltery: a rarely heard string instrument that makes everything sparkle subtly, finally to be heard again in this repertoire after years of research by Franziska Fleischanderl. Il Dolce Conforto colors the picture with baroque music at the intersection of spiritual devotion and worldly theater – an approach that earned them the coveted Opus Klassik Award for best concert recording of the year in 2024.