Search - Orchester der Ludwigsburger Festspiele :: Cimarosa: Gli Orazi e i Curiazi

One of Cimarosa's best.

B. Bork | Ontario, Canada | 06/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those Cimarosa fan's out there, this is a fantastic and rare recording to add to your collection. This is especially true since Gli Orazi e i Curiazi is an opera seria instead of a buffa and has an uncharacteristcaly tragic ending (for the classical period at least).



The quality of the composition is first class with plenty of bright, flowing melodies that have moments of both intensity and tenderness woven through the essence of the music. There are also some departures from his traditional style into something a bit more French in quality. There's a sublte deterioration of numbers with an emphasis on integreated scena's consisting of accompanied recitative, choruses and aria's. Ensembles are present but often have a more choral "seria" quality to them than the more dynamic ensembles found in opera buffa. Secco recitative is present but has been significantly diminished by the presence of the larger whole.



The recording itself is really close to first tier with some unfortunate weaknesses, mainly Andreas Karasiak as the lead antagonist. His vocal range is small and his consistancy is a bit off too. The rest of the performers are fantastic, all youthful (hurrah! A young cast for a change) and fresh sounding with the exception of Orazia's father who sounds appropriatly old yet noble.



The orchestration deserves the highest praises for being intense and passionatly performed! Michael Hofstetter does a sublime job conducting and directing this production which seems to recall some of the more accesable mid-century recordings of Cimarosa's operas. Finally, someone who understands that classical opera should be quickly, brightly AND passionatly performed instead of lingering in that plodding moderate range that some Cimarosa recordings suffer greatly from. If more of this great composers opera's had this same kind of treatment than I would be a much happier man.



The included booklet does include an english and german translation of the original italian with an adequate introductory essay and great cast and crew information.



Lastly, the bad. There's not much to say here that one might chalk up to opinion. The continuo is done with what might be a forte piano or maybe a harpsicord with a lower range which, at times, gives it a distracting guitar like twang (almost Baroque sounding). You do get used to it after a while so this isn't so much a complaint but more something to expect. There are some noise distortions on two of the tracks that last for a total of maybe four minutes when added together so this isn't too hard to get over either. I do have a warning to round this section off with... for those who listen to their music on an iPod, expect painfully long tracks (the longest being around 32 minutes). OEHMS divided their tracks into scenes so each scene is one track.



In conclusion, Gli Orazi E I Curiazi is a must for all fans of Cimarosa and should be in your CD library if you are a follower of this composer. This recording makes a great addition to anyones operatic collection, especially those who love classical bel-canto italian opera."