Luca Cervoni at BEMF 2025

Alessandro Quarta led his Concerto Romano in a recital at the Boston Early Music Festival this year in a program dedicated to pieces from the early Italian baroque dedicated to the role of nannies in operas that spoke directly to the audience about the unfolding story. Cervoni appeared on stage dressed as a woman, as was the historical custom, with tenors being cast in these roles.

The program unfolded within one of Boston’s historic churches. While I was not familiar with all the original works from where these arias derive, I found the style affectionately direct and easy to listen to. Both Quarta and Cervoni had great stage presence, Cervoni, especially, taking his female form, and using props to support the operatic stories.

The violins, when used, were quite responsive to the music and the two artists were in perfect tandem. The bass, played by Mario Filippini, had great presence. Sadly, there’s no recording made by the ensemble that directly mimics this program, but I only hope they put it on record soon, as the music, especially with Cervoni’s theatrics, was well received by the Boston audience.

Cervoni had an affective voice and combined with his presence with the audience, he came across as a consummate professional.

Both Quarta and Cervoni were gracious in singing my companion’s recording booklets. While this was my first exposure to Concerto Romano, I’ll continue to look for their upcoming recordings.