Search - Domenico Cimarosa, Eric Hull, Simon Edwards :: Cimarosa: Armida Immaginaria

Lots of Fizz

John Cragg | Delta(greater Vancouver), B.C Canada | 07/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cimarosa was an expert at writing lighthearted opera buffa that zipped along. Much of this music sounds very much like his better known IL Matrimonio Segreto, coming clearly out of the same stable, but it has its distinctive elements. Here the forces of the Festival Valle D'Itria come up with a sparkling production. The singing and the orchestra come across as excellent, the conductor Eric Hull keeping things moving with a light touch that keeps it all together. The singers keep the music zipping along, and when it turns more serious, Alla Simonischvili, the lead soprano, and the others handle it well. Well recorded, especially considering that apparently we have some sort of mixture of only two straight-through live performances, and well performed this set offers a good deal of pleasure if not any profound musical experience. I found it worth hearing and having . The booklet gives the libretto with English translation and a useful essay."