Jakub Józef Orliński review – breakdancing baroque specialist shows star quality

Jakub Józef Orliński has caused something of a stir in the world of baroque music of late, and listening to his latest Wigmore recital with Il Pomo d’Oro, directed from the harpsichord by Francesco Corti, you understood why. The young Polish countertenor with a second career as a breakdancer (though he gave us none of the latter on this occasion) combines matinee idol looks with a voice of quite astonishing, almost unearthly beauty, coolly sensual in tone, evenly produced throughout a wide range, and supported by well-nigh exemplary technique.

His programme, linked to his latest album, Facce d’Amore, consisted of 17th- and 18th-century arias, familiar or otherwise, about the nature of love and the vagaries of desire, opening with Endymion’s rapt contemplation of lunar Diana from Cavalli’s La Calisto, and closing with a big showpiece from Orlandini’s Nerone, all swirling coloratura and capped by a spectacular cadenza. Finché Salvo è l’Amor Suo from Predieri’s Scipione Il Giovane, one of the evening’s many high points, sounded exquisite with its slowly unfolding, long breathed lines. Occasionally, his consonants slipped, in a quest, one suspects, for evenness. More pertinently, the balance sometimes came adrift in the first half, with the usually excellent Il Pomo d’Oro turning up the volume more than was perhaps necessary.

“You want more?” he asked his enraptured audience when it was over, before settling in for a generous half hour’s worth of encores, which included Vedrò Con Mio Diletto from Vivaldi’s Giustino, his signature aria, breathtakingly sung. He’s a wonderful artist, and a genuine star.