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.