[ Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Wednesday 17 May 2017
In its day La scuola de' gelosi (1778) was one of the best-known comic operas by Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), remaining a box-office hit for decades. All the more astonishing is the fact that it could sink into obscurity. Even Goethe was excited by this masterpiece: "The opera is the audience's favourite, and the audience is right. It contains an astonishing richness and variety, and the subject is treated with the most exquisite taste. I was moved by every aria." In the wake of its world premiere in Venice in 1778, La scuola de' gelosi was performed in opera houses all over Europe, from Dresden, Vienna, Prague and Paris to cities as far away as London and St Petersburg, before it passed into near-oblivion. Not until well over two centuries later did Werner Ehrhardt and his ensemble, l'arte del mondo, rediscover this musical treasure. Their world-premiere recording affords impressive proof of Salieri's abilities and explores his shrewd delineation of character, whereby jealousy repeatedly rears its head in ever-new guises.
"Salieri didn't share Mozart's gift for instant and succinct musical characterisation, but still, he's more than Shaffer's "patron saint of mediocrities"...There are no real standouts in Werner Ehrhardt's mostly Italian-speaking cast, but all are decent. The orchestral playing has the odd rough edge but plenty of spirit." The Guardian
"Werner Ehrhardt pays careful attention to details, and L'Arte del Mondo play more than capably in arias and ensembles that aptly characterise witty banter, scampering tetchiness, enraged outbursts and suave evocations of tenderness" Gramophone
"Ehrhardt elicits an accomplished account from his period-instrument ensemble and a strong, well-matched team of principals." BBC Music