Released May 2023 | Label: Naxos
Adam: Orfa - Romantic Ballet in 2 Acts
Adolphe Adam
Dario Salvi, conductor
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra
Orfa was Adolphe Adam’s penultimate ballet, with an intriguing scenario based on Nordic mythology. It shares analogies with Hesiod’s Theogony and Wagner’s Ring cycle in depicting the struggle between the older gods (Loki) and younger gods (Odin). Full of archetypal Romantic elements, Orfa was mounted with the lavish stage spectacle for which the Paris Opéra was famous, and featured Fanny Cerrito in the title role. .
Reviews
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RBBKultur
★★★★ “Rarely has Adam been better, more sublime, more lyrical; the orchestration has improved enormously, the melody anticipates Offenbach and Delibes. Another sensational find, for which one must be grateful to the conductor Dario Salvi!” [Original in German]
Matthias Käther - July 2023
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ConcertoNet
★★★★ “Dario Salvi’s power is through his baton, extracting ample amounts of musical desirability to cleanly encapsulate Orfa’s beauty (5’50) through the bowstrings of concertmaster Kalina Hristova.”
Christie Grimstad - August 2023
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Pizzicato.lu
★★★ “Orfa is presented here in world premiere recording. Conductor Dario Salvi uses Adam’s original manuscript, stored in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The imaginatively composed ballet spreads more lovely charm than drama.”
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Classica
★★★ “Dario Salvi gets the best possible from the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, solid and without problems, facing a score that is nonetheless very routine. Particularly generous timing.” [Original in French]
Jacques Bonnaure - October 2023
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Classical Explorer
The recording, made in Bulgaria Hall, Sofia in April 2022, is superb. This is a wonderful release, spotlighting magnificent music in a powerfully convincing performance.
Colin Clarke - November 2023
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MusicWebInternational
“The balletic delicacy of the Sofia Philharmonic’s playing will impress the listener. The first strings are fine; their contribution to the recording is elegant and not to be underestimated. Dario Salvi shows sensitivity in the soft romanticism he brings to the tranquil sections of the ballet, yet elsewhere directs spritely rhythms with panache and his control of dynamics brings out the colour and spirit of the numbers.”
Raymond J. Walker
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Classical Music Daily
“ Dario Salvi's intense advocacy for the piece is all too evident in his vibrant conducting, and the Sofia Philharmonic respond with some really arresting playing full of joy and rhythmic beauty. “
Gerald Fenech
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Cultuurpakt.be
“During the ballet you will therefore hear the necessary thunderclaps, despair and love. The music portrays it all for you and the orchestra puts it all in the spotlight. Dancing sounds. Music for the romantic and adventurer. Also something for the Wagnerians among you music lovers. Different style, same background. Educational. “ [original in Dutch]
Knopskaya
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CD Choice
“ The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra under Dario Salvi utilise a new edition drawn from Adam’s original manuscript score at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. For those who admire Adam’s tuneful, understated charm, this will be a diverting issue.“
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Crocks Newsletter
“This performance is by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) under Scottish-Italian conductor Dario Salvi (b. 1975). They deliver a magnificent account of a balletic rarity, which is all the more colorful for some superb playing by violinist Kalina Hristova [T-6, 8], who's the SPO's concertmaster, and harpist Vesela Trichkova [T-1, 5, 7, 8]. “
Bob McQuiston - November 2023
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American Record Guide
“…Orfa is full of colour, energy, and melody… The Sofia Philharmonic plays idiomatically and with exuberance, and Dario Salvi adds to his continued advocacy of this music”
Roger Hecht - January 2024