Vivaldi - Orlando furioso / Behr, Horne, Patterson, San Francisco Opera
Antonio Vivaldi was an important opera composer, with at least  47 operas--and perhaps twice that many--to his credit. But he first  became known to modern audiences almost exclusively for his  instrumental music. This unbalanced view does not mean that his  operatic music is inferior to his concertos. It reflects instead  economic conditions (opera costs a lot more to produce than  instrumental music) and major changes in the tastes of the opera  audience during the 19th century and much of the 20th.Baroque opera has made a comeback in popular taste in recent decades,  and this production ofOrlando furiosoembodies the genre's  distinctive qualities: elaborately ornamented da capo arias, the use of  high-pitched voices (originally castrati) in heroic roles, and an  intricate plot full of implausible relations, misunderstandings, and  deceptions among star-crossed lovers. The primary reason for the  recording's existence is the spectacular performance of Marilyn Horne  in the role of the medieval knight Orlando, legendary nephew of  Charlemagne, including a long and technically dazzling mad scene. But  the San Francisco Opera has assembled a stellar cast for the sometimes  extraordinary demands of the other roles. Particularly impressive are  Susan Patterson as Angelica, whom Orlando loves to the point of  madness, and Kathleen Kuhlmann as the wicked witch Alcina, but the  whole cast performs without significant weakness. Visually, the  production captures the fairy-tale quality of the libretto, and  conductor Randall Behr has Vivaldi's style, vocal and instrumental,  well in hand.--Joe McLellan