2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Charmer, February 25, 2010
This review is from: Die Abreise (Audio CD)
"Die Abreise" ("The Departure") by Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932) is a little one-act operatic comedy for soprano, tenor, and baritone. The story, about a husband who is suspicious (with some good reason) that his wife is being wooed by one of his best friends, ends happily and sweetly, with renewed love between husband and wife. As opera it certainly doesn't aim very high, and this is part of its charm. The music is quite melodic, with, in truth, little that is especially memorable. Edda Moser, Hermann Prey, and Peter Schreier obviously enjoy the good humor of this little drama and sing beautifully. The recorded quality is excellent. Problems arise, however, regarding the accompanying booklet and the tracking on the disc (hence my giving four stars rather than five). The performers sing in German, but no libretto in any language is enclosed, only a brief synopsis -- a serious lacking with a work in which a witty libretto is so important. Also there are a total of two (!) tracks on the disc, one track for the seven-minute prelude (incorrectly numbered in the booklet) and one track for all the remaining 39 minutes! What a shame. Recommended for the work and the performances but with serious reservations about the CD presentation.
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