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Haydn - Armida | Warner 2564643462

Haydn - Armida

New Item

Label: Warner

Cat No: 2564643462

Barcode: 0825646434626

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 2

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 26th April 2007

This product has now been deleted. Information is for reference only.

Contents

Artists

Cecilia Bartoli
Patricia Petibon
Christoph Pregardien
Scot Weir
Markus Schafer
Oliver Widmer
Concentus Musicus Wien

Conductor

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Artists

Cecilia Bartoli
Patricia Petibon
Christoph Pregardien
Scot Weir
Markus Schafer
Oliver Widmer
Concentus Musicus Wien

Conductor

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

About

Beautifully re-packaged and available at lower mid-price

Superstar Cecilia Bartoli is joined by an internationally acclaimed cast that includes Patricia Petibon,
Christoph Prégardien, Scot Weir, Markus Schäfer and Oliver Widmer.


“On Teldec, Armida, the last opera which Haydn wrote for the theatre at Esterhaza, and arguably his
finest, receives a period performance under Nikolaus Harnoncourt which brings out it’s freshness and
vigour, helped by a strong cast. Cecilia Bartoli in the title role gives a seductive portrait of the sorceress,
strongly and characterfully sung… what seals the strength of her performance is the vitality of the
recitatives, with word-meaning electrically conveyed. Christoph Pregardien gives a sensitive, stylish
performance as Rinaldo… and Patricia Petibon as Zelmira [is] bright and agile…”
PENGUIN GUIDE 2003/4 edition

“Nikolaus Harnoncourt, occasionally perversely controversial, here leads a white-hot show… with the dry
recitative nicely trimmed. Cecilia Bartoli, in the title role, has eschewed her whispering here. She can still
sing softly but it's less affected and her portrayal is a pip: cajoling and loving one minute and truly pissed
off and scary the next. Wow! Christoph Pregardien… gets into the text like a champ… he's superb. Patricia
Petibon uses her light soprano well and improves as the opera progresses. She's a bit tentative at first but
her later, more challenging music is delivered at full throttle. The other two tenors and bass Oliver
Widmer are up to their tasks as well, and they show no fear in the face of Harnoncourt's sometimes cruelly
aggressive leadership. The Concentus Musicus Wien has never sounded better. This one is a stunner.”
Robert Levine – ClassicsToday.com


“I have often remarked before on Bartoli’s way with recitative, but here, possessed by Armida’s torment
and fury, she excels herself. Even though this is a live recording of a concert, Bartoli’s Armida is a
theatrical whirlwind, spitting out her scorn and venom, when Rinaldo finally abandons her, with
frightening conviction. This is a typical no-holds-barred tour de force from Bartoli… everything she does is
alive and filled with the spirit of the theatre.

Harnoncourt uses the period instruments of his Concentus Musicus Wien and the playing has a sharper edge
than that of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. But Harnoncourt revels in Haydn’s special orchestral
effects: the tempestuous storm music, the exquisite nature painting of Rinaldo’s Act 3 accompagnato and
the jaunty little march for a sextet of clarinets, horns and bassoons…”
Reviewed: Gramophone 1/2001, Hugh Canning

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