Oberto (1984)

"Gardelli, that indefatigable Verdian, follows up his long line of Philips sets of early Verdi with this equally recommendable set of the very first of the canon, a not inconsiderable piece having regard to the composer's age (26) at the time of writing. Most of the arias and cabalettas may derive from Donizettian models, but even in these, the cut of the melody is distinctively Verdian, and the ensembles reveal a talent for illuminating a dramatic situation from within that rises well above the conventions of the time. Gardelli is a sure guide through the work's elementary and more inspired passages, never forcing the pace and always alive to the shape of a number, and he is rewarded with 1talianate playing from his Bavarian forces, sensuous in the often-refined orchestration and rhythmically buoyant in the more basic pieces. The choral singing is also excellent. Dimitrova makes an impressive Leonora." (Gramophone, 1985)