JOHANN FRIEDRICH REICHARDT (1752-1814): Die Geisterinsel.

Description: A Singspiel from 1798 to a libretto based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. With simple means Reichardt's music seeks, in keeping with the particular situation, to do justice to the tension between the "gentle melodies" of delightful spirit voices and the horrors of hell. It is primarily in his ensemble and final scenes that this composer produces a complexity that he had learned from Gluck and Mozart. Of special interest, this recording was made in 2002 and the third soprano role is taken by a young Barbara Hannigan. 2 CDs. German-English libretto. Ulrike Staude, Romelia Lichtenstein (sopranos), Markus Schäfer (tenor), Ekkehard Abele, Tom Sol (basses), Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert; Hermann Max.