Search - Furio Zanasi, Fulvio Bettini, Baldassare Galuppi :: Galuppi: Il mondo alla roversa

Beautiful recording of a mid-18th century comic opera

S. Schomburg | 11/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Baldassare Galuppi and Carlo Goldoni were the mid-century power team for Italian opera buffa. And in this recording, one can see why. The singers are active participants in the music- and drama-making, rather than just "phoning it in" (which so often happens in early comic opera). The characters are vivid, enhanced by the orchestra's spritely accompaniment on period instruments.



People too often forget that this piece (and others in the mid-century repertory) is supposed to be FUN and entertaining. The singers add vocal effects (where appropriate) to enhance the comic nature of the libretto, and it is an all-around vivacious cast and orchestra--probably the result of the conductor/director of this production, Diego Fasolis.



Aside from the charms of the music, the accompanying notes with this set are fantastic. The libretto (with English translation, in case your Italian's not so good) preserves the structure of Goldoni's poetry (seldom done in liner notes, but something that people paid attention to in the early days of opera). The notes provide a succinct description of Venice c. 1750, providing a social context for the opera's premiere.



In all, this is a lovely recording that even a wide audience would be comfortable around."