Montserrat Caballé - Sombre forêt Aria of Princess Mathilde von Habsburg - Guillaume Tell (1829) - Gioacchino Rossini. Hommage à Rossini Chamber Orchestra of Europe Choeur de Radio France M.° Claudio Abbado Conductor. LIVE in Versailles - 1985. [...] a Rossini spectacular starring Montserrat Caballe, Marilyn Horne, Francisco Araiza, Samuel Ramey and Ruggero Raimondi. These and still other solo singers and the Radio France Chorus perform with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the direction of Claudio Abbado. But this is no mere concert of arias and ensembles from Rossini operas. It is, rather, an elaborate costume fantasy filmed at Versailles -largely in the theater and chapel of the palace, though there are introductory glimpes of gardens, fountains and the exterior of the vast structure. The concert is presented in the guise of an imaginary 19th-century gala tribute to Rossini, who lived in Paris after he stopped composing operas. Before the concert there is a picnic on the grounds at which the composer may have drunk a bit too much wine, and then the guests hurry inside to listen to the music. Everybody - the audience in the small, elegant theater as well as orchestra, chorus and soloists - is in luxuriant 19th-century evening dress. (Allen Hughes - The New York Times) https://youtube/watch?v=oi0ZyHq-Mco
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 09:45:09 +0000