Credits:

Sebastian Weigle,Frankfurt Opera Orchestra

Description:

Harriet, Queen Anne's handmaiden, is bored with her normal life. So, in search of stimulation, she and her maid Nancy disguise themselves as village girls with the names Marta and Julia, go to the apprentice market, and sign a contract to work for the young farmer Blanquette. Blanquette's brother-in-law, Lionel, is enchanted by Marta's (Harriet) singing voice and proposes to her... The "ordinary young man is actually the orphaned son of a nobleman," a common trope in 19th century operas, lives on in this opera, as Lionel, who once gave up on his love for Marta Lionel, who once gave up on his love for Martha, finally fulfills his feelings for her. The opera is interspersed with well-known Japanese songs such as "The Remaining Roses of Summer" sung in the second act, "The Earnest and Hardworking Daughter," and Lionel's aria "Like a Dream," but there are few recordings of the entire work, and the appearance of Weigle's performance with this excellent lineup of singers is a valuable revival of a forgotten work from the 19th century. The appearance of this performance by Weigle, with its excellent singers, is also valuable as a revival of a forgotten work of the 19th century.