Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gorgeous recording of a gorgeous work., 26 Jun 2001
By A Customer
If your idea of opera is something rip-snorting like Verdi's "Il trovatore," this isn't for you. But if you're ready for a gentler, absolutely lovely operatic experience, you could not do better than this splendid RVW work. It is not undramatic, but it works its wonders with great subtlety. It has humor, of course, although most isn't of the knee-slapping variety, but mostly it has RVW's transformations of traditional English folk-song plus his own seamless evocations of that music. And how much his thrice-familiar setting of "Greensleeves" gains when heard in its original place. The recording is lovingly done and Raymond Herincx is a most engaging Falstaff. Verdi's version is valid, but it isn't Shakespeare and England, and this is!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Time will make justice to this oversighted masterwork!, 4 Nov 2001
By A Customer
If you feel that Verdi has beautyfull music, but it has a too much thick blood, and you think that beauty must be tensed by reason; You are looking at the right composer.This opera or musical drama (in the wagnerian sense, cause it is a romantic comedy) makes a very whole unit, the "areas" and the recited-sung recitatives are in funtion of the "dramatic" momentum or inerce, it's incredible how pleasently quick this work is heard, and yes it's very entretaining (I know that's not necesary a virtue for an opera, but here it is).
The music, well, gorgeous as might be expected from V.W., transitions are well sewn, and the traditonal folk songs add a dash or elizabethian romanticism.
The cast is strong, Hendrix is very suited for the rol, but you may fantacised how well this rol will be portrayed now by Bryn Terfel, It's sad that Hickox not thinck (or did he?)of this in his new recording of this opera (perhaps Chandos not provide him with the budget that Abado's can manage for his new DG. Falstaff recording).
Maybe Langridge will sound more youthfull than Tear, but that is a small detail. Hellen Watts it's spicy and perky Mrs. Quickly, and Gerald English Caius' is is excellent!
Davies captures V.W. orchestration very well with a ADD recording that will cause envy in this days, and the price, is to laugh about.
Treat you and buy this forgotten treasure!
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raimund Herincx excels as Falstaff, 8 Dec 1999
By A Customer
In this Vaughan Williams setting of the Falstaff story, Raimund Herincx in the title role is joined by a cast of the leading British singers of the late 1970s in delivering a superb performance, backed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra at their best.
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