Haydn: Orlando Paladino
This delightful "dramma eroicomico" ("heroic-comic drama"---a made-up phrase brimming with irony) tells the story of the noble knight Orlando, who goes mad being torn between duty and love, his love, Angelica, who actually wants Medoro, and Alcina, an evil sorceress out to get Orlando, and turns it into a type of farce, with great results. There is some lovely music, mostly for Angelica and Medoro, but most of it is fun and light, with characters whistling, trying to impress people with how well they sing, etc. The scoring wittily underlines their foibles. Even for those who normally don't like comic opera, this sophisticated bauble is so impressively performed that it's irresistible. Patricia Petibon's intense and individualistic way with text and music is enchanting as Angelica; Werner Güra sings Medoro with honeyed tone; Michael Schade takes Orlando through love and lunacy with great sincerity, and the whole show is almost stolen by Markus Schäfer as Pasquale, Orlando's servant, who is busy wooing Eurillia, a local shepherdess, well sung by Malin Hartelius. Elisabeth von Magnus as Alcina and Christian Gerhaher as the enraged Berber King Rodomonte are spicy and full of character. Conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt enchants us with this rarity entirely. Try it: Haydn's operas can be hard to take, but this one will tickle you.--Robert Levine