Die heimliche Ehe

Il Matrimonio Segreto(or in this German-sung production Die Heimliche Ehe) by Cimarosa is one of those operas that is so much fun to watch complete with great music that you wonder why you hadn't heard of it earlier. Which was precisely the case with me, after seeing the production with Barbara Daniels, David Kuebler and Carlos Feller. If I were to be honest as well, I do prefer that production over this one, which I still liked a lot. The costumes and sets are handsome and true to period, and the camera work and video directing while very straight-forward doesn't take away from the fun and intimacy of the drama. The staging is not overly-fussy nor is it dull, some of the acting is a little farcial but that was in keeping with the opera and its style I felt. The orchestral playing manages to be both stylish and beautifully played and balanced. I don't usually associate Lorin Maazel with music from this era, but he does do a fine job with it, his leadership is very musical and he doesn't allow the drama and style of the music to lag.

The performances on the whole are excellent. Josef Greindl as Geronimo doesn't have one of my favourite ever bass voices, I have found his basic sound to be rather nasal-sounding, and he is past his best here, in a role that I am not entirely sure whether he's suited for, and in the other three productions from the recent Deutsch Oper collection release(Commendatore from Don Giovanni, King Phillip from Don Carlo and Rocco from Fidelio). However, he is a characterful presence and he does provide some good comedy. Erika Koth's quivery vibrato is not going to be for all(though it is not as intrusive as her Deutsch Oper Zerlina) and I had a sense that she was maybe too old for Carolina, but her truly dazzling colouratura register, agility and technique are a wonder and she gets the sympathetic side of the role right.

Lisa Otto was one of the outstanding soubrette roles, and her Elisetta does nothing to tarnish that opinion, she sings beautifully with great vocal elegance and while she has a great deal of charm she doesn't forget to bring out Elisetta's stuck up attitude. Patricia Johnson- a mezzo soprano who is deserving of more appreciation- is in a role as Fidalma that is more suited to her voice than her Deutsch Oper Eboli and while singing with a firm tone she does convey the drama of the opera very well. Barry McDaniel sings with his usual sturdiness and appealing character, and Donald Grobe likewise. All in all, a very good Deutsch Oper production, worth checking out. 8/10 Bethany Cox