By Mark
American Record Guide
01-Feb-2001

"Style of contemporary Italian opera buffa. Then he went to Italy on a scholarship from the Portuguese Crown. There he became quite successful as a composer of full-length buffa works and one-act farces, such as Le Donne Cambiate (The Mistress and the main - Marco Polo's non-literal translation) or The Triumph of Humility, which premiered in Venice in 1797 and is one of only two Portugal operas that was published. (He wrote over 50 of them).

This is the first modern Portugal recording I am aware of. It is a thoroughly enjoyable performance of a work that could easily pass for a Cimarosa opus, with music that sparkles and charms and is guaranteed to amuse devotees of 18th Century opera buffa. But don't look for any true individuality - there isn't any. It's easy to spot the stock comic figures and situations in Le Donne Cambiate. This performance omits secco recitatives, making the plot hard to follow, but at least a libretto is included for the set pieces.

A noble couple (old geezer, young wife) and a common couple have their lives disrupted when a wizard switches the personalities of the two women. Eventually these personalities find their way back to the right bodies and things turn out just fine in the best opera buffa tradition.

The two women have the best voices in the cast, and the difference in social position is nicely brought out even thought the voices are similar. The men are also fine vocal actors. Tenor Tlberto Lobo da Silva, as the Countess's cavalier servant, has a light lyric tenor that is quite sweet and pleasing - he might be worth hearing in a small house in the less demanding Italian buffa roles or a Fenton. The City of London Sinfonia under Alvaro Cassuto has an appropriate light touch. A very pleasant curiosity but hardly a necessary acquisition for most listeners."