‘The opera is a charmer … Cavalli is never at a loss for ingratiating tunes, and Mr Leppard has clothed them all in a luscious harmonic framework that is rich in textural variety and full of ingenious theatrical gestures.’
New York Times (Peter G Davis)
‘Musically the opera flows with Cavalli’s distinctive blend of recitative and arioso yielding to more formal aria. Its emotional range is both broader and deeper than many other Cavalli opera (one is tempted to draw parallels here with Mozartian opera), notably in Egisto’s extended mad scene and the encounters between the lovers. This is a marvelous work, broad in its range of passions, inspired in its melodic flights, elegant in its multiple fusions of tragedy and whimsy, heroism andintimacy, reality and illusion.’
Los Angeles Times (Martin Bernheimer)New York Times (Peter G Davis)
‘Musically the opera flows with Cavalli’s distinctive blend of recitative and arioso yielding to more formal aria. Its emotional range is both broader and deeper than many other Cavalli opera (one is tempted to draw parallels here with Mozartian opera), notably in Egisto’s extended mad scene and the encounters between the lovers. This is a marvelous work, broad in its range of passions, inspired in its melodic flights, elegant in its multiple fusions of tragedy and whimsy, heroism andintimacy, reality and illusion.’