Search - Johann Adolf Hasse, Michael Schneider, Frankfurt La Stagione Orchestra :: Johann Adolf Hasse: Piramo e Tisbe

A wonderful recording of an early masterpiece

Eric Erwin | Northern Vermont | 11/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased a recording of one of Hasse's early operas (Cleofide) a few years ago, and was delighted by the harmonies and melodies, and the rich Baroque arias and orchestration. This recording became a favorite of mine, and I play excerpts from it nearly every day. I found it easy to believe why this composer was held in such high esteem by his contemporaries. When an opportunity came to purchase `Piramo e Tisbe' distributed by the same Capriccio label, I jumped at it. However, I was startled to discover that this opera does not sound `Baroque' at all! Gone are the da capo arias, the counter-tenors, and (gulp) the Baroque orchestration! I hurriedly read the liner notes to make sure this was the same Hasse who composed Cleofide... and discovered indeed it was. What had changed? One very important encounter had occurred between the composition of these two stage works: Hasse had met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and recognized immediately that this young upstart had created new opera sound. `Piramo e Tisbe', written in 1768 as a small private performance for a wealthy patroness, was the result of this recognition. Hasse changed his composition style easily and with great skill. The cast of this opera is small: two sopranos (Piramo, a trouser role for Bernarda Fink, and Tisbe, sung by Ann Monoyios) and a tenor (Wilfred Jochens), but the story is more contained and dramatic that the typical sketchy and thin plots of Baroque opera. The arias are longer, more dramatic, and require less vocal virtuosity than Hasse's earlier works, but are more emotionally genuine and intentional. The recitatives are accompanied by the orchestra rather than the harpsichord. The orchestration (including an overture and two ballet interludes) is Classical in style, and remind the listener of Mozart's `Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail' or `Bastien und Bastienne.' Once I understood what had changed, I settled in to listen with greater intention and discovered a beautiful opera with lovely arias, a dramatic story of undying love. The singers are all marvelous, and Michael Schneider directs La Stagione with sensitivity and a firm grasp of Hasse's intent and new style. This recording is highly recommended, and leads one to hope that `Piramo e Tisbe' will become a standard of the modern operatic repertoire."

A fine recording of this unjustly neglected work

Steven Guy | Croydon, South Australia | 09/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I hope that more music lovers track this recording down. It is a superb recording of this work. Barbara Schlick, singing the castrato role of Piramo, is in top form and she is one of my favourite singers of Baroque music. Alas, she doesn't seem to be recording anymore. Ann Monoyios is another fine singer of Baroque music and she sings the role of Tisbe here.

Wilfried Jochens I know well from is interpretations of a lot of 17th century German music - he did some magnificent stuff with Musica Fiata on their recording of Johann Hermann Schein's "Opella Nova II".



The work is a little more like Gluck than Handel and it is interesting to note that Michael Schneider and his La Stagione ensemble also made a very fine recording of Gluck's "Paride ed Elena". If you like "Piramo e Tisbe", you should make the Gluck your very next purchase.



Warmly recommended by me."