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Pergolesi - Lo Frate 'Nnamorato |
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If his life had not been so tragically short, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) might have become a friend of Mozart. Musically, he is a predecessor. He used the idioms of baroque comic opera (which were much more flexible than the rigid forms of opera seria) to convey emotional depths as well as hilarity. Sometimes he anticipates Mozart's style a half-century later. Most of the time, Lo Frate 'Nnamorato (using a Neapolitan dialect that makes the subtitles doubly welcome) is a delightfully melodious romp through standard opera buffa situations: servants are smarter than their masters, old men scheme to marry young women who find ingenious ways to resist patriarchal pressure, young lovers have silly quarrels. The music is splendid and beautifully performed. There is much virtuoso singing and Ricardo Muti stylishly conducts a small orchestra of period instruments. The visual elements--sets, costumes, and acting--are all excellent. Baroque comic opera has been underrepresented in video recordings, but this outstanding production does a lot to make amends. --Joe McLellan
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