Vivaldi: Orlando Furioso, RV728

“It contains some extremely effective music, bracingly performed by Federico Maria Sardelli's lively Italian period-instrument group Modo Antiquo and soloists, among whom Roberta Mameli's lustrous soprano shines in one tiny, brilliant aria that steals the show.” The Observer, 2nd December 2012

“Foot-tapping and furiously enjoyable.” The Times, 21st December 2012

“Sardelli has done a remarkably convincing job...Galou has a golden depth of tone and is one of the few singers here who sometimes withholds her natural vibrato for expressive purposes. Soprano Teodora Gheorghiu brings some welcome dramatic excitement...Most importantly, though, there's some excellent music by Vivaldi which is complete and unique to this opera...All in all, a triumphant musical resurrection.” International Record Review, February 2013

“Only two of the opera's three acts have survived...Sardelli's reconstruction is thoroughly convincing and he has assembled a first-rate cast to prove it...Notwithstanding incompleteness, this is one of the most rewarding performances in the Naive Vivaldi opera survey.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2013 *****

“this recording presents Sardelli's editorial completion...Consequently, Modo Antiquo's spirited performance cannot be experienced as a coherent dramatic whole, but it is to the credit of the performers that they strive for dramatic convention...Sardelli's conscientious experiment opens up an intriguing new perspective into Vivaldi's encounter with a story to which he would return in 1727 for his famous masterpiece.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Novaro's voice is especially warm on high E and F, just where so many baritones have registral difficulty. He shines in a long scene of recitative when Orlando is trapped in a cavern...the continuo players are dramatically attuned without being showy...[Gheorghiu] is a heroine with real strength...Sardelli does a beautiful job, making it appear that the characters are running the show.” Opera News, April 2013

“This is a magnificent achievement, and one of the pinnacles of Opus 111’s monumental Vivaldi Edition. If Vivaldi needed a champion to more firmly establish his credentials as a fully-fledged opera composer, then this recording is it.” Gramophone Magazine

“Jean-Christophe Spinosi's imaginative interpretation of Vivaldi's Orlando, excellently cast and performed.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2008

“Spinosi and his excellent team of musicians have revised history's judgement of Orlando furioso by their compelling presentation.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006

“Vivaldi's opera combines magic, heroism and comedy to tell of a seductive sorceress, a noble knight driven insane by love, a feisty fiancée who disguises herself as a man to rescue her bewitched lover, and a magic ring that helps ensure everything ends happily ever after. This recording bears the fruit of Vivaldi scholar Frédéric Delaméa's painstaking reconstruction of the original 1727 version. Marie-Nicole Lemieux's delivery of Orlando's anguished and often unhinged recitative is astonishingly good, full of conviction, passionate, and vocally brilliant.
When his sanity is restored, she achieves a tangible lucidity that makes the drama wholly satisfying.
Jennifer Larmore's sorceress Alcina is devious, vivacious, and venomous. Philippe Jaroussky's Ruggerio is adept at both delicacy and heroism and Ann Hallenberg is excellent as his fiancée Bradamante.
Ensemble Matheus provide bright ritornelli and intelligent accompaniments. The playing is often abrasive and intentionally percussive in fast music, but the performers also excel at the softer moments. Spinosi's direction is vividly theatrical, and recitatives are declaimed with aplomb, although sometimes it sounds as if characters cannot wait to interrupt with their next line.
Vivaldi's score has a dramatic stature greater than most of his other operas. He rarely devoted much attention to accompanied recitatives, but here he composed several that are unusually extensive and adventurous. This is a magnificent achievement: if Vivaldi needed a champion to establish his credentials as an opera composer, then this recording is it.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Recorded when historically informed performance practice was in its infancy, this disc is packed with great singing from Horne and de los Angeles.” The Guardian, June 2011 ***

“…is another fine account of a dramatically successful piece.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ****

“Sardelli gives a masterclass in showing how the ritornelli and accompaniments of arias should be both cultivated and theatrically apposite. …the singing is consistently enjoyable: Anne Desler sings the title-role with effective virtuosity and conviction. Nicki Kennedy is a stylish Angelica...” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008