10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an obscure delight!, July 30, 2002
This review is from: Dittersdorf: Arcifanfano, King of Fools (Audio CD)
Eleanor Steber's image on the cover of this set caught my eye while rummaging through the cut-out bins of San Francisco on a recent opera whirlwind. What a lost treasure this performance is - recorded "LIVE" in NYC 1965! All the principles shine, their energy ebullient. Don't hesitate, buy it and smile before it disappears.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Comic-Opera Treasure!, January 27, 2007
This review is from: Dittersdorf: Arcifanfano, King of Fools (Audio CD)
Dittersdorf is a sort of working-man's Mozart; in fact, this opera sounds similar to some of Mozart's early operas. But Mozart sought to break the rules and to explore new musical ideas; Dittersdorf is not an innovator...yet he is no less a master! This performance, too, is a materpiece of refined (not always!) comedy; the arias include some extremely difficult vocal leaps and trills, yet the primary joy is the witty verse. W.H. Auden (no less!) ramrodded this translation to English. And Anna Russell, famed for her "Analysis of Wagner's Ring Cycle" steals every scene she's in! Ad-libbing shamelessly, her introductory aria, all by itself, is worth more than the purchase price!
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