Las de Caín (Sorozábal)

Teresa Tourné, Ana Higueras, Renato Cesari, Julio Catania, Segundo García, Luis Frutos. Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, c. Pablo Sorozábal
EMI 5 74342 2

Sorozábal's last major zarzuela was written to a libretto he based on an early 3-act comedy by the Quintero brothers. The plot concerns the domestic trials of Don Segismundo Caín, plagued by the amorous affairs of his handful of daughters, and finally faced with five weddings to finance. The music is (nearly) all top-quality, and it's hard to imagine it better presented than in this sparkling 1965 EMI recording. Tourné and Cesari, as the eldest daughter and her lover, do justice to the lion's share of the tunes. Their duet "Canta la Creación" at the end of Act 3 is an outstanding highlight, though the concertante polonaise for the father, his whole brood of daughters and their lovers in Act 2 is perhaps even more memorable. Things go with a swing under the composer's precise and forceful direction - and this is highly recommended.

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