Divine impresario : Nicolini on stage (2026)

"While many readers will be familiar with the name Senesino, fewer will recognise the slightly older Nicolini (Nicolò Grimaldi, 1673-1732), the first of the prominent castratos to reign on the London stage between 1708 and 1717. Nicolini arrived in London in 1708, but until Handel’s arrival over two years later the Italian operas produced in London had all been arrangements of earlier works or pasticcios. Today, with Scotting and Laurence Cummings, we have musicians deeply committed to the drama of the music, which shows in the familiar as much as it does in the premiere works on this album. Throughout this album Scotting is at times demanding, impatient, dramatic and flamboyant, as one would expect from roles written for Nicolini, but always poised and richly toned. But this is so much more than just another Handel et al countertenor recital: it’s a delightful portal into a world of baroque wonderment and a musical project that delivers on every level." (Gramophone)