For her debut album, soprano Giulia Bolcato has chosen to join forces with the Remer Ensemble to present the never-before-recorded complete version of Barbara Strozzi’s Op. 8. It’s a choice born of a desire to perform this Venetian composer’s refined yet boldly original compositions.

“I am aware of the ever-increasing demand for entrepreneurial skills in my field, and in this regard, Barbara Strozzi has been a font of inspiration: raised as an illegitimate daughter in a wealthy home, she had to defy convention in order to make her way, living near to the margins of society, showing determination and an extraordinary ability to create works of great artistic value. For this reason, I wanted to make this Barbara Strozzi album to celebrate her music, her tenacity and to bring to light the beauty and historical importance of this great composer’s music.”

“As a musician, I’ve always been fascinated by the music of 17th century Italy and its extraordinary expressive richness. As this music was almost exclusively written by male composers, I am interested in recognizing and promoting the work of those few women who were courageous enough to challenge social stigma and present themselves as composers and musicians. Barbara Strozzi is, in many respects, an exceptional figure: not only was she a professional musician in a predominately male milieu, but as a composer she also has an extraordinary capacity to fuse distinctive musical expressiveness with a personal poetic sensibility that results in works of great emotional intensity.”