Esther-Oratorio in Hebrew in three acts (1774)

What we have here is something completely different from the other releases in the Euterp-Accord opera series: a Handelian Hebrew oratorio by a Viennese Italian Gentile for the Portugeuse Jewish community in Amsterdam. That would be enough to pique the interest in itself. What is more it is actually a fine piece of music. While (unlike Mozart's slightly later reworkings of Alexander's Feast, Acis and Galatea, Caecilia and Messiah 1788-90) Lidarti does not actually use the notes of Handel's Esther of 1718 the legacy is obvious. And the music and playing are superb, earning the release a warm welcome in France: 10 de Repertoire, 5 Classica, Diapason decouverte, and le Prix Michel Garcin de l'academie du disque lyrique 2004.

Even better the release presented in the same professional way as the other releases of rare operas by the Orchestre National de Montpellier in this series - namely Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's La Vedova Scaltra, Respighi's La Campana sommersa, Ponchielli's Marion Delorme, Offenbach's Die Rheinnixen, and the most significant release in the series so far Franco Alfano's Rizurrezione. The Lidarti set has the same attractive hard box, full libretto and (splendidly) Hebrew text, transliteration, French and English.