Flotow: Alessandro Stredella
Soloists
Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Chorus
Heinz Walberg
Flotow is known almost exclusively for Martha, although that opera has now itself virtually faded from view. Alessandro Stradella is the only other of his operas to have any lasting success - it was performed quite extensively in the decades after its first production.
I didn’t know what to expect. From the opening I imagined that we were going to get something in the German romantic tradition of Weber and early Wagner, with horns very much to the fore. But after a while it settled down into a rather lighter style which , like several of the operas in this part of the project, shows just how strong the influence of Singspiel still was in German at the time. But there was also more than an hint of Italian Buffo , particularly in the ensembles. The music was pleasant enough without being particularly memorable but some of the harmony was fairly crude and there were some awkward gear changes in places. So a real curiosity this time and I can’t imagine that this opera will ever be staged again.
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