A due alti: Chamber duets CD review – a mellifluous masterclass

Filippo Mineccia, Raffaele Pe (countertenors), La Venexiana/Cavina
(Glossa)Aristocratic demand for dramatic, intimate, plaintive duets proved a useful source of income for several 17th-century composers, eager to show their prowess at setting texts for the fashionable countertenor voice; Handel, of course, but also the lesser-known Steffani, Bononcini, Caresana and Marcello. Filippo Mineccia and Raffaele Pe unite here to give us a masterclass in this mellifluous repertoire, their diamond-bright