Nicolai Terra Firma

When Haydn first came to London in 1791 he was recognised as one of the greatest composers in the world, but his extensive operatic output was essentially unknown outside Eszterháza, where the works had originated. He was commissioned to produce a new opera to celebrate the opening of the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, but political intrigue prevented its production. Although the resources in terms of orchestra and chorus (particularly in the final Underworld act) were far greater than anything he had known in Hungary, Haydn seems to have been unworried by the fracas, since his generous fee was already in his bank in Vienna, and his concerts were proving an outstanding success. But he never composed another opera. The official title, L’anima del filosofo, seems to have been a half-hearted attempt to distinguish it from the successful Gluck version of Orfeo.

Der Barbier von Bagdad (The Barber of Baghdad) is a comic opera in two acts by Peter Cornelius to a German libretto by the composer, based on The Tale of the Tailor and The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers in One Thousand and One Nights. The first of three operas by Cornelius, the piece was first performed at the Hoftheater in Weimar on 15 December 1858.

Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler already enjoyed a worldwide legendary standing during his lifetime - he was considered the German conductor and performances were greeted with rapturous applause. Today, more than 50 years after his death, Wilhelm Furtwangler is still an icon and his work has become an integral part ofthe music scene.

This 66 minute CD has 16 tracks of highly interesting electronic music. The material does not have the wall of sound density like that of Kistenmacher but is closer in sound to that of Exchange. Several songs are light in texture and sparse in complexity. This gives them a pop-jingle sound that can fool the listener, but several playings will show the composers working for an overall diversity. Several tracks are notable - "Icefields", "Banana", and "Polarlight" by J. Mohn; "Lhasa" by K. and M. Buntrock. This first release album shows a lot of promise for the musicians. A nice change from the work of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze.