Hummel the opera composer

[edurban]

Brilliant has released a 2 cd World Premiere recording of Hummel's 'big' operatic success (comparatively speaking) Mathilde von Guise.  No libretto, but great stuff none the less: the 1821 revised Weimar version sung in Italian in a translation commisioned by Hummel.  There are some extras: 2 different overtures, the 1810 original and a jolly noisy one Hummel borrowed from the ballet Sappho of Mitilene in 1821.  There's also a little duet that somehow never made it into the published vocal scores.  I haven't seen this set anywhere but Records International, those champions of the unsung:

http://www.recordsinternational.com/cd.php?cd=07M048

This is a delightful piece.  Not very dramatic, maybe, but full of vigorous high spirits.  Mozart is the primary influence, but plenty of Haydn, Cherubini and some Beethoven too.  There are a surprisingly small number of arias: three, plus an additional Romanza for the soprano.  The cast is excellent, without being starry.  The period orchestra is Slovakian (fitting for a composer born in present-day Bratislava), as is the chorus: this is a Slovak/ French co-production.  All do a fine job, once the horns settle down.  The recorded sound is admirably clear.

All this at Brilliant's super-cheap prices!

David