Anima Aeterna

After 2018’s Anima Sacra, the thrilling Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński stays with the world of 18th-century sacred music for its follow-up, and collaborates once more with the compelling ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro. Motets and oratorios by lesser-known Baroque composers Zelenka, Fux, Nucci, and Manna form the heart of this album, and they hint at infinite riches still waiting to be discovered. Zelenka’s motet Barbara, dira effera is infused with Handelian fire and imagination, while Manna’s Laudate pueri for countertenor, choir, and orchestra—one of two world premieres on this album—possesses a stately poise, Orliński’s voice switching effortlessly between clear-toned, virtuosic articulation and a dusky sensuousness. Il Pomo d’Oro provide vibrant, rhythmic color.