Jakub Józef Orliński sings Anima Sacra— With Il pomo d’oro

The warm, expressive tone of Jakub Józef Orliński brings to life the intense drama and beauty of this unique program devoted to Baroque sacred music, a selection from the smash hit album with which the Polish superstar countertenor debuted in 2018 at the age of 28: Anima Sacra.

Like a conservator of fine art painstakingly recreating the colors and textures of a work that has languished in darkness for centuries, Orliński unearths musical treasures by little-known composers like Zelenka, Heinichen, and Fago, restoring each work to its original glory with sparkling vivacity. Baroque ensemble Il pomo d’oro’s pristine accompaniment shows that their exquisite period instruments have an important role to play in the modern musical milieu, and that—as with masterpieces like Michelangelo's Pietà—the expressive force of ancient sacred art continues to resonate profoundly among listeners both religious and secular.

The highlight of this recital is perhaps Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus, likely written between 1713 and 1717 (over 300 years ago, for those keeping count!), whose most moving movement, "Cum dederit," floats above ethereal, introspective strings, rising and falling with an almost hypnotic quality.