Cupid's Ground Bass (Album) Bellot Ensemble

• Barbara Strozzi (1619 - 1677): Cantate, ariette, e duetti, Op. 2:
• 1 Strozzi: Cantate, ariette, e duetti, Op. 2: No. 22, Amor dormiglione 04:02
• Marco Uccellini (1603 - 1680): Aria sopra la bergamasca, Op. 3:
• 2 Uccellini: Aria sopra la bergamasca, Op. 3 04:04
• Carlo Farina (1600 - 1639): Capriccio stravagante:
• 3 Farina: Capriccio stravagante: II. La lira 02:25
• Francesco Cavalli (1602 - 1676): Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne, Act III:
• 4 Cavalli: Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne, Act III: Misero Apollo 06:01
• Giasone:
• 5 Cavalli: Giasone: Sinfonia 01:45
• Giasone, Act I:
• 6 Cavalli: Giasone, Act I: Delizie, contenti che l'alma beate 04:03
• Musiche sacre:
• 7 Cavalli: Musiche sacre: No. 23, Canzon à 3 05:33
• Giasone, Act I:
• 8 Cavalli: Giasone, Act I: Se dardo pungente 03:00
• Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (1580 - 1651): Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4:
• 9 Kapsberger: Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4: Toccata No. 1 06:22
• Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644 - 1704): Rosary Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, C. 90 "The Annunciation":
• 10 Biber: Rosary Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, C. 90 "The Annunciation": I. Preludium 02:29
• 11 Biber: Rosary Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, C. 90 "The Annunciation": II. Aria & Variations - III. Finale 03:22
• Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger: Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4:
• 12 Kapsberger: Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4: Capona 01:18
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643): L'incoronazione di Poppea, SV 308, Act II:
• 13 Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea, SV 308, Act II: Oblivion soave 03:24
• Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger: Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4:
• 14 Kapsberger: Intavolatura di chitarone, Book 4: Canario 02:27
• Barbara Strozzi: Arie, Op. 8:
• 15 Strozzi: Arie, Op. 8: No. 6, Che si può fare 05:04
• Claudio Monteverdi: Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti, SV 251:
• 16 Monteverdi: Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti, SV 251 05:27
• Total Runtime 01:00:46

Info for Cupid's Ground Bass (Album)

A prevailing feature of music of the 16th century and earlier was a split between the deployment of voices and instruments: occasionally replacing each other, or used in alternation - a more concerted effort in writing dedicated instrumental music with increasing degrees of complexity and virtuosity was taking place. The penchant for writing stories about love in it's many forms continued, finding a new home in the developing operatic works as well as the ever-popular madrigal genre, as composers continued to find ways to describe the joy, grief, despair and ecstasy of the human experience of love. Cupid's Ground Bass is a celebration of these developing musical aesthetics of early 17th century Italy, focusing particularly on the composers' language of love in all it's forms.

Bellot Ensemble:
Lucine Musaelian, soprano, viola da gamba
Kieran White, tenor
Olivia Petryszak, recorder
Edmund Taylor, violin
Maxim Del Mar, violin
Jacob Garside, cello
Nathan Giorgetti, viola da gamba
Daniel Murphy, theorbo, baroque guitar
Matthew Brown, harpsichord, organ

Bellot Ensemble
As a group we pride ourselves on the energy and passion we give each and every performance along with our style specific improvisations. The group specialise in 16th and 17th century repertoire with research into written divisions and the contextual texts of the time. This practical research is always greatly influenced by our work with talented singers in our regular collaborations with consorts, choirs and opera societies.

In 2024, Bellot Ensemble was selected for a grant award from Continuo Foundation to make their debut recording 'Cupid's Ground Bass' and received a second grant in 2025 to create video material to promote the album and the ensemble for future tours. The group will perform in the Oxford Festival of the Arts Early Music Day 'Emerging Ensemble Showcase', a collaboration with Continuo Foundation.

Bellot Ensemble was one four groups selected to take part in the Brighton Early Music Festival live scheme 2023/24. We are also working extensively with conductor and organist Nick Houghton performing varied repertoire with several Sussex Choral and Opera societies. We toured across the UK performing John Frederick Lampe’s “The Dragon of Wantley” with New Sussex Opera in 2024.

The group was also selected for the semifinal of the Loire Valley International Early Music Competition in 2024, and performed a programme of early 17th century Italian repertoire at the 2024 Utrecht Early Music Festival. We were also a Featured Artist in 2024 in the Overstrand Early Music Festival, and collaborated with Norwich Baroque for a concert alongside a production of Dido and Aeneas at the festival.

Bellot Ensemble have performed at such venues as St George’s Hanover Square and the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul alongside notable conductors such as Ralph Allwood MBE. The ensemble has also performed the UK premier of the reconstructed Telemann cantata “Erklingt Durch Gedoppelt Annehmliche Töne" Cantata as part of their residency at St Mary-at-Hill in London.

Booklet for Cupid's Ground Bass (Album)