Haydn: L'infedeltą Costante [SACD, Import]

As the liner notes explain in greater detail, most of Haydn's operas were composed for the court of Prince Esterhazy, for whom he worked exclusively and extensively for most of his career. Customary for the time, they were written with the singers, musicians and tastes of that court in mind, and their endurance beyond that time/setting has been extremly limited. As past recordings of his full length operas and this current recital will indicate, this is a shame since his operatic music ranges from endearingly charming to outright beautiful, and is always endowed with Haydn's sturdy, inventive construction and clever sense of humor.

Anna Bonitatibus's voice is a gem, a mezzo timbre similar in color to Bartoli's voice yet without some of that singer's more exaggerated gestures. Though at the same time not quite up to Bartoli's superhumanly flawless technique (few singers are), her voice is rich, poised, focused, and by turns bright or dark enough as the music/text requires. Her abilities as a gifted yet tasteful singing actress are fully highlighted in this recital: her singing in the two arias from "L'infedelta delusa" immediately bring out the comic nature of this piece without being over-the-top, she is terrifying in Alcina's number from "Orlando Paladino" (and only here appropriately underscored by the band), charming if vulnerable in the brief song from "L'isola di Alcina" (her ornaments in the da capo are truly impressive), and all of the recitatives are gripping. Haydn's music is a delight in the understated way it captures each piece's affect, especially the insertion aria for "La Frascatan" with its shifting tempos, oboe obbligato and chattering strings. Some people may think the inclusion of four (4!) instrumental overtures is overkill for a vocal recital, but I enjoyed these pieces and found that they helped set the mood for the excerpts from the respective operas.

Which brings me to the one weak spot on this disc, Il Complesso Barocco and conductor Alan Curtis. Their playing is sensitive, lovely and attentive to the details of Haydn's scoring, but I continue to have difficulty with this director's measured approach and overall lack of rhythmic "oomph". The accompaniment is always dependable, but I can't help wondering how Bonitatibus might have sounded with a more energetic band or conductor behind her, such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Rene Jacobs, Harnoncourt or Concerto Italiano. As food for thought, compare their playing of the Overture from "L'Isola Disabitata" with deMarchi and Academia Montis Regalis (though they recorded the whole thing, which as an opera is a bit of a snorer), or compare the threat aria from "Orlando Paladino" with Harnoncourt conducting Concentus Wein (who recorded the whole opera and it's incredible): the other bands don't resort to mannerism yet are so much more exciting! The cantata for voice and piano played Curtis only highlights the problem with his approach: intimacy and sensitivity can still 'MOVE'.

This is not to dissuade any buyers. Pick this up (even at a hefty import price!) and you won't be disappointed.

I bought this disc because late in life I've become obsessed by Haydn and there are few contemporary recordings of his operas available. Bonitatibus has a lovely, creamy sound and she handles this beautiful music with grace and energy. Haydn seems to bring out the best in Curtis as well- there is drama and polish in his conducting here (I tend to agree with the previous reviewer who said that he finds Curtis' conducting somewhat flat) that makes me hope that he will bring forward recordings of the Haydn operas. I also very much hope that we hear more of this delightful voice.

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars