Heroes from the Shadows

In 2009, contralto and conductor Nathalie Stutzmann founded her own chamber orchestra, Orfeo 55, with which she tours extensively and partners her on this new release. The orchestra, which performs on both baroque and modern instruments, performs not only music from the baroque period, but also works by composers in the 20th century such as Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg. This album focuses on Handel's contralto arias: music from some of his best-loved operas, but rarely heard independently of full performances. With this release Nathalie Stutzmann gives light to these heroes usually in the shadows, giving these characters and this wonderful music a new perspective - making them the stars of this album.