Only one more left to go!
Brett Farrell | Cape May, NJ USA | 09/18/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With CPO producing Franz von Suppe's Fatinitza, there remains only one more operetta left of the Vienesse golden age big three's big three (Strauss, Von Suppe, and Millockers three best operettas)to be recorded in full and that's Millockers 'Madame DuBarry'. (Millocker's 3 being Der Bettlestudent, Gasparone, and Madame Dubarry. Strauss-Ein Nacht en Venedig, Die Fledermaus, and Der Ziguenerbaron. Von Suppe-Boccacio, Die Schone Galathee, and Fatinitza. While they have written other worthy pieces these are the three operetta's that shook the operetta world at the time and are thus remembered now as the big three)
Now if you are a fan of Golden age Vienesse operetta than you will like Fatinitza quite a bit but unlike it's counter parts Fatinitza is mostly military in its musical style since it's set around the Crimean War. Not really any waltzes, mostly marches and the instrumentation is not as lush as I would expect but all in all it is a very worthy operetta. I can understand why it's slipped out of fashion but it definitely deserves this second look. The music is wonderful and very catchy plus there are parts through out that are so beautiful they make your hair stand on end. Often however the songs seem very short despite being numerous and much of the music is a rehashing of the primary military march we hear in the opening. Thankfully CPO breaks down the tracks so that however short the music maybe sometimes be you can skip past the dialoge and get to the next patch of music.
Also, as you can expect from CPO, the recording quality is superb. never second rate sound or preformances. Everybody does a highly professional job and the booklet that comes with the CD is also very informative.
If you are an operetta fan and looking for a prime piece to add to your library or just great music that will keep you entertained for months than I recommend Fatinitza highly for you will not be disapointed on either count."
