La Périchole

"Recording of the week: As with his earlier operetta recordings, Minkowski has a knack for casting luxury voices without over-egging Offenbach's soufflé-light writing, and his two leading singers here combine adroit comic timing and lightness of touch with a richness of timbre that would grace La favorite (which La Périchole burlesques to some degree) ... The balance between French and Hispanic elements is brilliantly judged throughout".

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"Bru Zane continues its French Opera series with Offenbach's La Périchole, an opéra bouffe in three acts ... I think the dramatic impact of La Périchole is especially diminished by not seeing the actual performance. Nevertheless, there is still much pleasure to be gained from this recording. The three principal characters - La Périchole, Piquillo and Don Andrès - are very well cast, with French-language singers ... Minkowski favours swift speeds. He draws a strong and expressive performance from Les Musiciens du Louvre ... The Chœur de L'Opéra National de Bordeaux is hard to fault. They give a strong performance throughout ... I find this Minkowski recording of La Périchole tremendously entertaining from start to finish ... A fitting tribute in Offenbach's 200th anniversary year".

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"What a delight it is to see a new operetta recording presented as handsomely as this! ... In the pit are Les Musiciens du Louvre - part of a growing and welcome trend towards giving operetta the benefits of historically informed practice. You can hear the results from the very first bars: springy, lean, with the underlying dance rhythms (Minkowski favours brisk tempos) bouncing naturally up from the bass ... The principals are very much inside their parts ... It's a real pleasure; and if world-class singing is not your first priority, this set can be recommended without hesitation".