Nicola Porpora: Orlando [Box set]

Olga Pitarch, Betsabee Hass Robert Expert (Artist), Real Compania Opera de Camara (Artist), Juan Bautista Otero (Artist), Nicola Porpora (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 14, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: K617 Records France
• ASIN: B000BRFB4C
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,944 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Ouverture. Lentement

2. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Ouverture. Senza indicazione di tempo

3. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Ouverture. Allegro

4. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Scene 1. Ombre amene

5. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Scene 1. Dimmi, dimmi, ove sei?

6. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Scene 1. Quel cauto nocchiero

7. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Scene 1. Cotesti tuoi sì strani dogmi

8. Orlando, opera: Part 1. La Fuga. Scene 1. La bella mia nemica

9. Orlando, opera: Part 2. L'Incontro. Scene 2. Zeffiro lusinghiero

10. Orlando, opera: Part 2. L'Incontro. Scene 2. Amor a te mi lega

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Sinfonia

2. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 1. Mio bel Medoro

3. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 1. Sopra il suo stelo

4. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 1. Sì, mio caro Medoro

5. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 1. La tortora innocente

6. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 2. Orlando, oh quanto in vano ricercato

7. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 2. Costante, e fedele

8. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 2. Non ebbi mai più fortunato giorno

9. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 2. Vanne, felice rio

10. Orlando, opera: Part 3. L'Unione. Scene 3. Così dunque s'impara ad ingannar

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yet another Baroque discovery, February 12, 2007

By 

Chris Protopapas (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nicola Porpora: Orlando (Audio CD)

It seems like the treasure-trove of Baroque opera will never end. Nicola Porpora was an almost exact contemporary of Handel, and a worthy rival from the evidence of this recording. This is a very satisfying performance of a wonderful opera. The quality of the writing is very high; none of this would be out of place in an opera by Handel. The recitatives are if anything more dramatic and striking than Handel's, the accompanied recitatives full of invention, and the arias full of beauty. There is perhaps a lack of vocal pyrotechnics in the fast arias, but the lyrical ones verge on the sublime. The one duet is particularly striking. The orchestral writing in the overture and sinfonias is very powerful, with a contrapuntal richness that Handel rarely attempted in his opera overtures. My only problem with the recording is the voice of the countertenor, Robert Expert, whose sound does not please me too much. Tastes in countertenors tends to be particular, so not everyone may share my view. All in all, a very fine recording by an unjustly neglected master. One interesting fact about Porpora: he outlived Handel by almost 10 years, and ended up in Vienna as a music teacher, where one of his star pupils was... Joseph Haydn!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Porpora, what a pleasant surprise!, September 1, 2006

By 

Christian V. Pampinella "musician" (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nicola Porpora: Orlando (Audio CD)

Porpora's Orlando really stands out among the slew of recently released performances of baroque operas. Not only is the opera delightful in its entirety, and novel for being one of the few recorded examples by a master of the genre, but there is some very fresh talent performing here. Most listeners will probably not be familiar with the music of Porpora, but one can safely assume that a liking of Handel's style will ensure the same with regard to Porpora's. It is easy to notice how similar they are.

The entire cast is excellent, the countertenor Robert Expert being in fact remarkable. The opening scene "Ombre amene" provides an excellent vehicle in which Mr. Expert is able to showcase a decidedly full warm tone (reminiscent of Nathalie Stutzmann) and pleasantly sonorous upper tessitura. In my opinion his performance alone is worth the price of this release. However all three singers excel in their roles and perform first rate ornamentation and cadenzas. J.B. Otero directs the Real Compania Opera de Camara with panache. His pacing and dramatic variation during the recitatives maintain interest, even when Porpora's music might not seem at its most inspired. Although even then, everything about this recording is just beautiful and immensely satisfying.

Unfortunately there is no English translation of the libretto, French only, although for many fans of the genre this isn't terribly problematic as Metastasio's Orlando has been set by practically every composer of opera seria ever - just browse through your collection for something similar and it should suffice. Highly recommended, an enthusiastic five stars. I heard something about a bonus DVD from a friend who bought this release in Europe but mine didn't come with one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Questionable but enjoyable, May 15, 2011

By 

Rollo Tomassi (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nicola Porpora: Orlando (Audio CD)

This performance is a modern cut-up, an editing an rearrangement of Porpora's actual opera "Angelica".It's hard to see the need for such bastardization. I found "Orlando" often lyrical, but occasionally dramatically sluggish. Could this be due to conductor Otero's shifting of things around? Characters from "Angelica" have simply vanished (resulting, probably, in a less expensive production). The beautiful overture was not originally written for "Angelica" but merely tacked on by Otero. However, performance-wise, there's a lot of red meat to enjoy here, though I must echo Mr. Protopapas above about the counter-tenor Robert Expert. He's merely satisfactory, a judgment otherwise unimportant, except for the historical fact that Orlando was an early Porpora vehicle for the composer's young castrato voice student Carlo Broschi--better known to Europe and later history as Farinelli, perhaps the greatest castrato of all. Maybe one of our current best counter-tenors, Phillipe Jaroussky, would have been better, especially since his Carestini album has some Porpora on it.

The current near-tidal wave of baroque opera recordings has had surprisingly little Porpora in it. It's time to rectify that. As is noted above--more Porpora NOW.