“[A] strong-minded, entertainingly modernised adaptation of Ancient Greek theatre... [The libretto] has the high-traffic breeziness of Verdi’s Falstaff, though in urbane, versified Sondheim-esque words... [that] set the tone for what might be called a confetti score – lots of small, colourful motifs... all effective points of reference in the fast-moving plot... Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess seems so current you wonder where Mark Adamo’s tragicomic adaptation of Aristophanes has been for the past 20 years”
— David Patrick Stearns, Gramophone
“The colourful, sometimes cartoonish, score is taut... Adamo’s writing for the female ensemble cast is luminous... The cyclical nature of war – including that at a societal level – is underlined by musical call backs... Adamo found the issue ‘scaldingly topical’ at the opera’s premiere; two decades on, it still blisters.”
— Claire Jackson, BBC Music Magazine, ★★★★
“[E]xtremely colorful, imaginative, and brilliantly orchestrated music... the material provides the basis for an exciting, dynamic musical performance in which the orchestra allows the consistently good — and at times even excellent — cast the necessary space... All in all, this is an entertaining modern operatic comedy that comes highly recommended.”
— Norbert Tischer, Pizzicato
“A joyful profusion of vocal writing blending opera and musical theater, with a beautifully colorful orchestra.”
— N.B., La Libre Belgique (translated from the French)
Music and libretto by Mark Adamo
Odyssey Opera
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Gil Rose, conductor and producer
Recording engineers: Antonio Oliart and Téa Mottolese
Editing and mastering: Antonio Oliart and Brad Michel
Recording label: Pentatone
Publisher: Wise Music Classical
