Music / opera

Zanaida (1763) : opera in 3 acts


Reviews (3)


BBC music magazine

2013 May

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Kate Bolton

2013 May

"While the story is one of passion, deception and power, the score is characterised by control, clarity and grace ... Stern drives a high-energy performance from Opera Fuoco, with spirited orchestral playing and brisk if rather unyielding tempos accenting the work's exuberance. The cast of young singers is well balanced, though some of the more virtuosic arias present quite a challenge".


International record review

2013 March

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Simon Heighes

2013 March

"There are no absolutely stellar vocal performances ... but an excellent ensemble cast with no weak links ... In sum, this is a charming early Classical opera which sounds enough like early Mozart to please a lot of people".


The gramophone

2013 February

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Richard Wigmore

2013 February

"If you treat Zanaida as a vocal concert and forget the drama, there is plenty to enjoy here, not least the colourful, sensuous writing for woodwind ... A cast featuring five sopranos, several of them sounding virtually alike, is never ideal on disc. But while there are no outstanding voices (and words are too often vague), all sing with spirit and a fair sense of style ... Stern paces the opera convincingly and gets some lively, pointed playing from his cosmopolitan period band".