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Located in the heart of Germany, the city of Fulda also stood at the center of Baroque style, architecture, and music during the 18th century. As part of the Prince Abbot's "grandiose cultural program," specialized singers were employed at court, where Italian opera style was favored, even in church. The soprano and bass voices--performing in a highly virtuosic manner--were most admired, and many composers wrote works to show off these singers' expertise. Some of the works premiered here, all of which are from a Fulda collection, are opera arias; others, including the title piece by Pergolesi and Zahn's "Alma Redemptoris Mater," are for church use. There's some remarkable, often brilliant, singing by these three performers, whose lack of notoriety only leaves you more impressed by their prodigious talent. Best is soprano Monika Eder, whose dazzling rendition of the coloratura aria "Torbida a noi" will leave you at once breathless and ready for more. --David Vernier