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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the one to have, April 1, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Mozart - Idomeneo (Audio CD)
I don't know why a reviewer below found it necessary to point out that this is a 'live' recording. Firstly, 'live' recordings usually have an 'edge' to them that results in a more involving experience. Secondly, the sonic quality of the finished product, in this case, hardly EVER betrays the fact that an audience was present. The audience is totally silent for 99% of the time and the music is more clearly and cleanly recorded than many a studio-bound effort! That said, this is probably the finest account of 'Idomeneo' available. It's electric! The singers give beautiful renditions of their roles and are dramatically and emotionally convincing. The Monteverdi Choir is, as usual, terrific and the English Baroque Soloists are surely as good, if not better, than the original Mannheimers for whom this score was written. One last thing, for those not familiar with the Ballet Music that Mozart himself composed for the end of the opera then this set is a MUST BUY! Even if Mozart did find writing it a chore the finished ballet is, of course, a masterpiece: some of the most 'muscular' and thrilling orchestral music he ever penned; and played here with the upmost verve, vitality and virtuosity. All in all a definitive recording, including as it does all the alternative music written by Mozart and then cut before the premiere (except that music written for the 1786 revival. All the 1780-81 stuff is here).
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sensational recording of a great Masterpiece., December 20, 1999
This review is from: Mozart - Idomeneo (Audio CD)
If Mozart had composed nothing but Idomeneo, he would still be one of the greatest composers of all time. This gorgeous score was composed for the Mannheim Orchestra, probably the greatest orchestra of the XVIII Century, so it demands superb musicians, and that is what Sir John has at his disposal. The English Baroque Soloists are terrific and the woodwind players deserve a special mention. Of the singers, it is Anne Sophie von Otter as Idamante and Anthony Rolfe-Johnson as Idomeneo who take the vocal honours, but in general everyone is just fine. Needless to say this is the finest recording of Idomeneo available, and the sound is rather excellent. Yes, this is a live recording and so much the better.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Encore!, August 21, 2001
This review is from: Mozart - Idomeneo (Audio CD)
I really enjoy this recording of one of Mozart's frequently overlooked operas. Gardiner's use of period instruments really brings out the emotions in the music in a way that more modern interpretations do not. This opera is full of passion, and Gardiner's orchestration brings that out in a way that is rarely heard. The musicians play beautifully, and the vocalists are top-notch. Sylvia McNair is radiant in the role of Ilia, and Rolfe Johnson is one of the best in the role of Idomeneo that I have ever heard. Don't listen to people who say that the period instruments rob this work of its vitality. Listen to it yourself and form your own opinion. I think that once you hear this recording, you'll find yourself returning to it again and again.
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