Il Gedeone (1999)

Het libretto van dit oratorium van Nicola Porpora uit 1737 is gebaseerd op het verhaal van Gideon uit het Oude Testament, waarin Gideon de Israëlieten redt van de vijandige Midianieten. "This performance the first in modern times boasts competent and well-matched soloists. Countertenor Kai Wessel as the eponymous hero gives a poised and musical account, though his voice could benefit from a weightier lower register. Male soprano Jörg Waschinski produces an ethereal, emasculated sound that is, perhaps, as close as we can come to that of the original soprano castrato who sang the part of Gideons enemy, Oreb. (Pity the man he ends up losing his head, not to mention his unmentionables.) But most impressive is soprano Linda Perillo (Gideons wife, Sichemi) whose singing is by turns agile, sensuous and dramatic. (Kate Bolton, www.classical-music.com). Met tekstboekje.