Canta, Federica
Johann Kaspar Mertz: Opern-revue Op. 8. Complete Seleci
Joseph Kaspar Mertz, a guitarist virtuoso of the Romantic era, wrote no less than 38 "opera revues", as he called them, i.e. fantasies where famous themes from popular operas were woven together and connected through brilliant passageworks. This Da Vinci Classics album focuses on his works after some of Giuseppe Verdis most popular operas, including the three forming the "popular trilogy", i.e. Traviata, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore. Along with these are three operas with a more pronounced political content, i.e. I Vespri Siciliani, Ernani and Nabucodonosor. Mertzs pieces give the solo guitarist an opportunity to demonstrate the expressive power of the guitar and its capability to evoke both the singing quality of the human voice and the colourful orchestral accompaniment.