Search - J.C. Bach, Sonntag, Hobart :: Amadis Des Gaules

Brilliant premiere recording of this important opera.

Thomas Kendall | Evanston, Illinois | 08/30/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Helmut Rilling prepared the performing edition of J.C. Bach's opera and made minimal cuts for generally good, dramatic reasons. Also, it's sung in German rather than the original French. This opera has two unusual features: a bare minimum of da capo arias and orchestrally-accompanied recitatives, some of which verge towards the arioso or arietta. The choruses almost assume the nature of another character in the opera. It's eerie how much this opera sounds like late Mozart (e.g., The Magic Flute) even though written many years before. It also points toward Weber. Leading a scaled down modern instruments orchestra, Rilling gets spirited singing and playing. I give this four stars only because of the translation of the libretto into German. Strongly recommended."