This is a genuinely weird recording. This beautiful Stabat Mater was sent as a present by the composer to George II and is kept in the British Library. Though composed in the early XVIII Century it rather sounds as late XVII Century. The excellent chorus and orchestra are very stylish, and conductor Diego Fasolis is a real master, he certainly knows what he is doing, the weirdness is courtesy of Cecilia Bartoli who tries to sing everything so "meaningfully", stressing every syllable to draw attention to herself, that the result is both disconcerting and infuriating. This is by no means how this music should be sung, and even such a glorious singer as Franco Fagioli (who these days should get top billing even above Bartoli) moderates his privileged voice to fit into the team.
This is not the first recording of the Steffani Stabat Mater, Gustav Leonhardt has already recorded it for DHM, and that recording in all probability is the more faithful to the composer.
Much more satisfying and enjoyable is Fasoli´s recording of Steffani´s orchestral music. The success of this recording is that the program has been very intelligently organized, so these sinfonias and dances sound as an organic whole and not unrelated bits and pieces from here and there. The playing of I Barocchisti is formidable.
