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Praise for Joseph Haydn's L'isola disabitata At Gotham Chamber Opera

Mar. 02, 2009

L'isola disabitata (The Desert Island) recently graced the stages of Gotham Chamber Opera in New York and opened to outstanding reviews. One of over two dozen stage works Haydn composed under the patronage of the Esterházy dynasty, L'isola disabitata has a lighthearted plot and requires minimal staging for an effective presentation.

Peter G. Davis of Musical America writes:

The score is perfectly lovely from first note to last, a series of lovingly crafted arias notable for their formal restraint, lack of vocal display, and gorgeous instrumental solos that weave around the voice. Even the recitatives, fully accompanied throughout, are expressively developed, flow seamlessly into the arias, and always lend support to the characters' predicaments. As in all his operas, the overall tone is rather abstract, but every musical idea is taken from the composer's top drawer and ingeniously developed.

Martin Bernheimer of The Financial Times writes:

The attractive singers ... performed virtuosically...Takesha Meshé Kizart (essentially noble) and Valerie Ogbonnaya (essentially charming) soared through the contrasting soprano challenges with aplomb. Vale Rideout savoured bel canto finesse as the long-lost tenor hero.

The New York Times' Vivien Schweitzer adds:

Neal Goren, Gotham's artistic director, conducted a lively reading of the colorful score, which opens with a dramatic overture (published separately during Haydn's lifetime) that reflects the Sturm und Drang style of his symphonies.

L'isola disabitata is available for hire from Bärenreiter, you can contact Schott Music/EAM for any promotional or rental inquiries on this title: ny@baerenreiter.com; (212) 461 6940.

Learn more on Gotham Chamber Opera at www.gothamchamberopera.org.

Joseph Haydn
L'isola disabitata (1779)
opera in two acts
libretto (It) by Pietro Metastasio
translation (Ger) by Peter Brenner
edition by Günther Thomas, Christine Siegert and Ulrich Wilker
for soprano, tenor, and two baritones
1.2.0.1-2.0.0.0-timp-str
ca. 90'

 

 

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