Leonardo Leo
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14 Toccate7 Recorder SonatasA
A solis ortuAgnellino innocenteAlleluiaAmor vuol sofferenzaAndromacaArgeneAriettaArtaserseC
Catone in UticaCello Concerto in A major, L.20Cello Concerto in A major, L.50Cello Concerto in D major, L.10Cello Concerto in D minor, L.60Cello Concerto in F minor, L.40Che farai, Lidia cara?Christus factus estConcerto for 4 ViolinsCredidi in B-flat majorCredo in C majorD
Dal di che in questo pettoDe Dios el afecto procuramosDel pigro Lete ecco le spondeDemetrioDemofoonteDiana amanteDite vedesti forse una donzellaDoriE
EmiraG
Gratias agimus tibiGrazie agli Dei che al fineI
Il Ciro riconosciutoIl cor che vive oppressoIn quel primiero istanteJ
Judica me Deus, KraL B.1.6L
La contesa dell’Amore e della VirtùLa morte di AbeleLa semmeglianza de chi l'ha fattaLa ZingarellaL'AndromadaLaudate Dominum in G majorL'OlimpiadeM
MiserereMissa in G majorN
Nitocri, regina d'EgittoNon potrei benché volessiO
O Jesu mi amateO Jesus, que finezasO Pedro peregrino de DiosO tu que piedra os haze ChristoOh Dio qual duolo siaOimè che veggio?Or che barbara sorteOr ch'è dal sol difesaOr che l'alba novellaP
Pangue Lingua in E minorParte oh Dio da me FilenoPastoraliPeloroPrata colles plantes floresQ
Quell'usignuol che in quella piantaR
Rendimi, oh bella IreneS
Santa GeneviefaSant'Elena al CalvarioScipione nelle SpagneSifaceSinfonia Concertata for Cello and Strings in C minorSinfonia in A majorSolfeggiSolfeggios for Soprano, P-Ln C.N.321Sonata for 2 Oboes, Strings and Continuo in D majorSonata for Strings and Continuo in D majorSorge Lidia la notteSplende più dell'usatoT
T'intendo sì mio corTurbido caeloV
Vado dal piano al monteVologeso re de' PartiY
Ya te proclaman los cielosZ
Zenobia in PalmiraWikipediaLeonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Lionardo Oronzo Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque composer.
Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (current San Vito dei Normanni, province of Brindisi) in the Apulia region, then part of the Kingdom of Naples.
He became a student at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini at Naples in 1703, and was a pupil first of Francesco Provenzale and later of
Nicola Fago. It has been supposed that he was a pupil of
Pitoni and
Alessandro Scarlatti, but he could not possibly have studied with either of these composers, although he was undoubtedly influenced by their compositions. His earliest known work was a sacred drama, L'infedelta abbattuta, performed by his fellow-students in 1712.
In 1714 he produced, at the court theatre, an opera, Pisistrato, which was much admired. He held various posts at the royal chapel, and continued to write for the stage, besides teaching at the conservatory. After adding comic scenes to
Francesco Gasparini's Bajazette in 1722 for performance at Naples, he composed comic operas in Neapolitan such as La'mpeca scoperta in 1723, and L'Alidoro in 1740.
His most famous comic opera was Amor vuol sofferenza (1739), better known as La Finta Frascatana, highly praised by De Brosses. He was equally distinguished as a composer of serious opera, Demofoonte (1735), Farnace (1737) and L'Olimpiade (1737) being his most famous works in this branch, and is still better known as a composer of sacred music. He died of a stroke while engaged in the composition of new arias for a revival of La Finta Frascatana.
Leo was the first of the Neapolitan school to obtain a complete mastery over modern harmonic counterpoint. His sacred music is masterly and dignified, logical rather than passionate, and free from the sentimentality which is present in the work of
Francesco Durante and
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. His serious operas suffer from a coldness and severity of style, but in his comic operas he shows a keen sense of humour. His ensemble movements are spirited, but never worked up to a strong climax.
A fine and characteristic example of his sacred music is the Dixit Dominus in C, edited by
CV Stanford and published by Novello. A number of songs from operas are accessible in modern editions.
Undated operas:
Label: Archiv Masters (Disc Title: Italian Violin Concertos)
Orchestra: The Raglan Baroque Players Label: Hyperion (Disc Title: The Neapolitans - Pergolesi, Durante, Leo)
Label: BIS (Disc Title: Leo-Six Cello Concertos)
più dell'usato, cantata for solo voice & strings- Conductor: Cosimo Prontera Performer: Cristina Miatello, Emanuele Bianchi Orchestra: La Confraternita de' Musici Label: Tactus (Disc Title: Leonardo Leo: Serenate e Cantate)
For a more complete discography of Leo, see http://www.leonardoleo.com/discography.htm