Gluck : Il Trionfo di Clelia. Le Corre, De Risio.

   in Opera Now (May, 2012)
Conductor Giuseppe Sigismondi de Risio came across the handwritten copy of this Gluckian obscurity in a library, eventually leading to this world premiere recording. It’s obviously a labour of love, and de Risio and the Armonia Atenea whip up quite a musical storm. The scoring is inventive, and Gluck’s playing with the form of some of the arias points towards his later ‘reform’ operas. Set to a text by Metastasio, Clelia consists of 22 numbers, and after its initial run in 1763 sank without trace. Over three CDs, it’s quite a long work, and despite the sincerity and standard of performance I did find my attention wandering. Hélène Le Corre is …