Day 58: Il Ritorno Di Tobia – Oratorio (Part II)

HaydnCD58What can I write about a Part II of something I didn’t like as a Part I?

Before I dive right in, let’s cover the basics again:

Haydn’s oratorio Il Ritorno Di Tobia was composed in 1775.

This recording harkens back to 1971.

Despite the age of this recording (42 years, as of today’s date), I think it sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded last week. (Which is more than what I could say about most of yesterday’s selection. It didn’t sound fresh at all.)

The Cast:

Sarah: Veronika Kincses soprano
Raphael: Magda Kalmar soprano
Anna: Klara Takacs contralto
Tobias: Attila Fulop tenor
Tobit: Zsolt Bende baritone

The Musicians:

Budapest Madrigal Choir
Hungarian State Orchestra
Ferenc Szekeres

Incidentally, I couldn’t find much information on the Budapest Madrigal Choir or Ferenc Szekeres. The Hungarian State Orchestra changed its name to the Hungarian National Philharmonic.

I can tell you soprano Magda Kalmar was 27 when this was recorded. Contralto Klara Takcs was 26. Soprano Veronika Kincses was 23. Tenor Attila Fulop was 29. And Haydn was 43 when he composed Il Ritorno Di Tobia.

I can also tell you that, so far, I like Part II better than Part I. I’m not sure why.

However, I think it’s because Continue reading