Domenico Cimarosa: Il Matrimonio segreto

Schwetzingen is a tiny town near Heidelberg which has a famous palace with magnificent gardens, not unlike those at Versailles. The Schwetzingen Festival is held every Spring in the palace and commissions a small-scale opera for the palace's exquisite Rococo theatre, built in 1752. Il matrimonio segreto is Cimarosa's most famous opera buffa which is reputed to have won so much popularity by Emperor Leopold II at its first performance in 1792 - the Austrian Emperor liked this masterpiece so much that he ordered to play it again from the beginning! The Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra under the baton of Hilary Griffiths accompany Carlos Feller, Georgine Resick and Barbara Daniels in Michael Hampe's elegant and colorful production of one of the few 18th century comic operas that has maintained its place in the repertoire until the present day. This production had already won international acclaim when staged in Paris, Stockholm and London - where it won the Olivier Award for Best Opera Production.