Daniel Schmutzhard reviews
Weber: Der Freischütz
Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Johanni van Oostrum, et al; Accentus Choir; Insula Orchestra/Laurence Equilbey (Erato)
Mozart: Die Zauberflote
Anyone tempted to programme the remote-control to skip over the dialogue in this Zauberflöte will rue the day. For this is a total experience, perfectly tailored for private listening. René Jacobs thinks of it as a Hörspiel: it’s a play to be heard – and I don’t know a recorded Zauberflöte more thrillingly alive with fantasy, profoundly musical imagination, real magic, and real fun too.