This recording of Rossini's Le comte Ory stars Florez in his best form and is a rare Rossini delight. The composer had a knack for writing beautiful music that at the same time was so comical, not just in a theatrical sense, but in the musical composition itself. I burst out laughing at the choruses; the trios and duets were delicate enough to make Mozart proud yet still retain their Rossini picaresque quality.
The Act One Finale became an instant favorite of mine. The voices literally skip over each other in a delightful, fanciful melody that builds to a booming crescendo that celebrates vitality. Curiously, the mezzo didn't have a solo. The bass solo was pleasant but repetitive and lacked the ingenuity of The Barber of Seville's bass solo "La calunnia e un venticello." The demand for high notes from the soprano were beyond what seem humanly possible yet were executed here with such grace it is to marvel at.
The tenor truly carries the weight of the entire opera and he is practically in every scene. Florez here was masterful and carried the pacing well, which is rare of me to say of him normally and especially recently. This role requires the tenor to be a team player and lead the way without drowning out the other voices. Florez took that initiative and proves to be a great lirico leggero.
The opera as a whole is so light-hearted that it feels too short. The most impressive quality of this opera is the seamless way in which Rossini blends voices in and out of each other in every form of song available, whether duet, trio, quartet or chorus. Even in the arias the singers are never alone. It truly feels like a comic ensemble piece and a tour de force of coloratura. Thank Heavens for such rare gems of the classical music world!
