Search - Andre-Ernest-Modeste Gretry, Fabio Neri, Francesco Vizioli :: André-Modest Grétry: Richard Coeur de Lion

Of great historical interest and quite enjoyable

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 01/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a delightful surprise! When I received for review a Nuova Era release of Gretry's and the shorter (7327-28), frankly I did not expect much more than two half forgotten pieces of historical interest only. After all, the first of the two was composed at a time when the French "opera comique" was passing out of the hands of singing actors and into those of acting singers; and with its alternating spoken dialogue and musical passages, works like this were setting the stage for the frivolities of Offenbach and later the genius of "Carmen." What I did not expect was the richness of the some of the musical passages in the first and the childlike but utterly charming numbers in the second. The plot of the "Richard" is some nonsense about the minstrel Blondel finding and causing the liberation of his King Richard from a tower. Forget that and concentrate on Blondel's Act One aria "O Richard, o mon roi" that gets the only applause one hears on this recording except at the end of each act and the powerful duet later in the work. The spoken dialogue wanders from the microphone now and then and the French of the some of the cast in this Italian "live" production might be suspect, but the music keeps one's interest throughout.The 37 minute "Denys" must raise a smile to any one who recalls how any stage work under a Communist regime had to sing the praises of the System. Thus "Denys" is an out and out propaganda piece extolling "la Liberte" and the French Revolution.. This tale of a deposed tyrant in ancient Greece who becomes a tyrannic schoolmaster in Corinth is light hearted enough, but one can always feel the shadow of the guillotine not far in the distance; and indeed the libretto did not escape criticism. The "Marseillaise" at the end says it all. Although recorded only a decade ago, the sound is nothing to boast of, but there is no rival set to which to turn any way. Some obvious splices in the second work let us know that applause was being omitted (there would have been time for it on a 73:28 minute CD side) but again this is nit picking. "Richard" is conducted by Fabio Neri with the Orchestra dei Giovanai del Conservatorio Claudio Monteverdi di Bolzano; "Denys" by Francesco Vizioli with the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia. None of the singers are outstandingly good, but all seem adequate to their assignments. A rare treat for those who like to see from whence their favorite operas have sprung."

No, no and no! Don't ever buy this!

Queen Margo | 08/31/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is a "solenne fiasco". The music is absolutely great, and the performance not. There's not a single competent singer in the whole production except a somewhat characteristic Marinella Pennicchi. The heroics of Hubert Zingerle as Richard in a great heroic aria "Si l'univers entier" are something beyond description (a totally wrong voice type with no technique), and the duetto between the shaking door-bell-like Comtesse and belling Richard is off-the-pitch shrieking. Even for a student productions this is a total flop.By the way the recording with a break after each track makes you mad. What might be the reason for splitting the whole into irritating short cuts?When is William Christie or Mark Minkowski taking this extremely gorgeous work in their schedule?"

Technically faulty

Queen Margo | Arlington | 10/10/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have no problem with the music or the singing. Both operas are lovely as well as the voices. But there are annoying breaks between the tracks. A new track sometimes starts with a skip. Since I bought my copy on e-bay, I thought it was pirated an poorly executed, but it seems that this is a universal problem with this set."