Zarzuelas (2007)

Zarzuela is the Spanish equivalent of operetta; although on the surface it sounds operatic, it may contain spoken dialogue inserts as well. The six-disc set Zarzuelas on Naïve consists of four complete zarzuelas issued on the Astrée Auvidis label in the 1990s, all four acknowledged as classics of the genre: Emilio Arrieta's Marina, Tomás Bretón's La verbena de la Paloma, and two works by Amadeo Vives, Bohemios and Doña Francisquita. The zarzuela emerged in Spain in the mid-seventeenth century and flourished for a time, only ... Read More

Zarzuela is the Spanish equivalent of operetta; although on the surface it sounds operatic, it may contain spoken dialogue inserts as well. The six-disc set Zarzuelas on Naïve consists of four complete zarzuelas issued on the Astrée Auvidis label in the 1990s, all four acknowledged as classics of the genre: Emilio Arrieta's Marina, Tomás Bretón's La verbena de la Paloma, and two works by Amadeo Vives, Bohemios and Doña Francisquita. The zarzuela emerged in Spain in the mid-seventeenth century and flourished for a time, only to get clobbered by the popularity of similar Italian works in the last third of the eighteenth century. After a long eclipse, Spanish zarzuela made a comeback in the mid-nineteenth century and managed to hang on until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War more or less completely wiped it out. The historical range of these works runs from 1871 to 1923, which falls into a period many enthusiasts describe as the "golden age of zarzuela." Although music from this era of zarzuela draws... Read Less