8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A TUNEFUL PASTICHE, September 4, 2000
This review is from: Rossini - Eduardo e Cristina / Jara · Acosta · Dumitru · Gorny · J.O. Gomez · I Virtuosi di Praga· F. Corti (Audio CD)
This opera premiered in Venice on 24 April 1819, and is made up almost entirely of music composed for previous Neapolitan operas. The overture, for example, makes use of a crescendo from "Ermione;" and the entire first scene is used almost verbatim (musically) from "Adelaide di Borgogna." Other music was lifted from the 1818 opera "Ricciardo e Zoraide." Some of the music may have been stolen from another composer! At any rate, Rossini was so skillful in swiping the best music from his previous flops that he scored a big hit with "Edoardo e Cristina!" It played to various cities around Europe until at least 1840 and even was heard about this time in New York. As for this performance, Eliseda Dumitru sings the pants role of Edoardo with a firm dark sounding voice, and is able to handle the most difficult coloratura. (In my opinion, Ms. Dumitru is the star of the performance.) Cristina is sung by Carmen Acosta, a whiz at coloratura, who can sing some of the most hair-raising passages with ease. Omar Jara, as Carlo, King of Sweden, has a non-descript tenor voice, but sings well enough; and the secondaries do well what they have to do. A harpsichord is used to accompany the secco recitative instead of a forte-piano. Francesco Corti conducts this performance in a lively, likeable manner; I Virtuosi di Praga are superb musicians. There are exemplary notes by Marco Beghelli and there is also an English libretto. This is a nice set; I recommend it highly.
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