Alberto Ponticello

By far the best opera based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, is Verdi's Falstaff. But the lazy, cowardly, greedy, overweight, alcohol-soaked, sexually predatory, and somehow (despite everything) endearing antihero is big enough for more than one opera. Salieri's Falstaff is much simpler and smaller in scale than Verdi's, less inventive and energetic. But this is a sophisticated, funny, brightly performed treatment of Falstaff's attempt to woo two married women with identical love notes.

The Naxos budget label has offered many fine, modern opera recordings at an unbeatable price and this new set of Rossini's first dramatic opera is in the best traditions of the house. Alberto Zedda leads his Bruges chamber forces in a spirited and energetic reading that still offers plenty of room for Rossini's arias and cantilenas to breathe. The singers range from good to excellent, with Polish mezzo Ewa Podles a wonder in the title role, her vocal range extending from a warm contralto to glittering top notes. Podles' many duets with the fresh clarion soprano of Sumi Jo as Amenaide are the set's highlights. With wonderfully clear, rich sonics, this performance of Rossini's infrequently recorded dramatic opera would be a top choice, regardles of the price.