José de Nebra was to Spanish opera what Rameau was to French opera, both pioneer and architect of the revival of the genre in the Eighteenth century.

His pastoral melodrama Venus y Adonis is recorded here for the first time almost 300 years after its premiere, by Alberto Miguélez Rouco and his ensemble Los Elementos.

The result of a meticulous reconstruction by the conductor, a specialist in the composer, this recording allows us to rediscover both the splendour of Nebra’s work and the singularities of the exuberant Hispanic Baroque, which is still too little known.

Sung exclusively by women, Venus y Adonis blends Italian style and traditional Spanish turns of phrase (the aria ‘Calquiera mozuela’, which combines fandango, zarambeque and castanets), with numerous borrowings from zarzuela.

Based on one of mythology’s most illustrious subjects, the work juxtaposes comedy (the duet of ‘chickens’) and seriousness, with more sensitive arias, such as the moving farewell aria by Adonis (Natalie Pérez).