The two central Marys of Christian belief and their great love for Jesus form the theme of All'amore immenso: Mary, the Mother of God, and...

The two central Marys of Christian belief and their great love for Jesus form the theme of All'amore immenso: Mary, the Mother of God, and Mary Magdalene, the sinner who stands with her at the cross, meeting the Risen Lord at His tomb. While Mary, Mother of God already found great veneration in the Middle Ages, the figure of Mary Magdalene received special attention in numerous oratorios in 17th and 18th century Italy. There, the role of Mary Magdalene moves into the field of tension between earthly and heavenly love and thus offers wonderful material for highly emotional music.

Massimo Mazzeo, director of the Divino Sospiro ensemble, has made a wonderful selection of arias from oratorios and combined them with three Salve Regina settings - the compositions are by Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Bononcini, Caldara, Porpora and Leo. The soloist of the recording is the Italian mezzo-soprano Josè Maria Lo Monaco, who is a regular guest at the great opera houses as a baroque and especially bel canto specialist. All'amore immenso is her debut solo release.