According to The New
Grove Masters of Italian Opera, Donizetti
wrote 65 operas. His first four were
considered student works, one of which
was not performed until 1960 and another
awaits a premiere. His career can really
only be considered to have taken off
with his fifth listed opera Zoraida
di Gratia, premiered in 1822. In
the following 21 years he wrote 61 operas
plus various radical revisions as were
required by the exigencies of singers
available at revivals, or the demands
of particular theatre managements. This
constitutes a prodigious output, exceeding
even Rossini’s 39 operas in 19 years,
and achieved despite lacking his distinguished
predecessor’s speed of composition or
gift of melodic invention. With Maria
Stuarda and Lucia di Lammermoor,
both premiered in 1835, Donizetti’s
fame was secure. Two years later, during
the composition of Roberto Devereux,
his son was still-born. This was the
third post partum death his wife had
suffered. She followed her son to the
grave a few weeks later. In my review
of Opera Rara’s recently issued
recording of Roberto I suggested
that these deaths were related to the
syphilis Donizetti was carrying. The
tertiary stage of this disease reduced
him to paralysis, insanity and in 1848,
death. He was only 51 years of age and
he died a mere five years after his
last opera.
The impact of these
personal tragedies seems to have triggered
a great impetus of creative energy.
In the remaining five years of his creative
life he wrote thirteen new operas. Like
Rossini before him he conquered Paris
with his operas simultaneously performed
at four of the city’s theatres. His
significant new works for Paris included
La fille du régiment,
premiered at the Opéra Comique
on February 11th 1840, and
La Favorite at the Opéra
the following December. Unlike Rossini,
Donizetti did not settle in Paris. He
went there in hopes of earning enough
money to escape the hectic world of
opera houses, and like his great predecessor,
to retire early. But as his health started
to decline he clung to his career. He
was solicited to consider a post in
Vienna as Kapellmeister to the Austrian
Court. Captivated by Vienna, his newest
opera Linda di Chamounix was
premiered there on May 18th
1842.
Linda di Chamounix
is compositionally a curious mixture.
In it Donizetti returns to the opera
seria genre abandoned ten years
before. The opera relates a complex
story with all the elements of bel
canto including a musically complex
overture, a wonderful love duet and
a mad scene for the heroine. Perhaps
the most unusual feature is that the
nasty would-be seducer of the chaste
Linda is cast for a buffa bass,
who gets a patter aria as well! On this
Arts issue each of the three acts is
contained on one disc. No track-related
synopsis is provided; nor is there a
plot summary divided into acts. This
is a pity as the details of the plot
are not to be found in the average opera
reference book either. The plot is outlined
below.
Act I (CD 1). The
Departure from Chamounix. Linda’s
parents, peasants living in the mountain
village of Chamounix, are concerned
that a pursuing aristocrat, the Marquis
Boisfleury, might threaten their daughter’s
chastity. The Marquis is the brother
of their landlord and they are also
worried about the renewal of their lease
(CD 1 trs. 2-3). The Marquis visits
the house and seeks to make Linda’s
acquaintance (trs. 3-4). Linda loves,
and is loved by, Carlo (trs. 6-7 and
10-12) who is passing himself off as
a painter. In reality he is the Visconte
di Sirval, the aristocratic nephew of
her would-be seducer. On her way to
a rendezvous with Carlo, Linda meets
the orphan Pierotto, a young musician
who is leaving for Paris. Linda asks
him to play her his latest melody, which
she finds curiously disturbing (trs.
9-10). It is necessary for the young
people of the village to go to Paris
in the winter to earn money when there
is no work for them at home. Linda meets
Carlo who expresses the wish to remain
in the village with Linda (trs. 10-12).
The local prefect and Antonio, Linda’s
father, decide it is better for Linda
to go to Paris with the other young
people so as to avoid the Marquis’s
intentions (trs. 13-15). In the act’s
finale the populace greet those who
are leaving and the prefect invokes
heaven’s protection upon them (trs.
16-17).
Act 2 (CD 2). Paris.
Carlo has revealed his identity to Linda
and offered to provide for her until
the day of their marriage. Linda has
accepted and is now living in a luxurious
home. Hearing Pierotto’s playing she
invites him in. He gives her news of
home and congratulates her on her forthcoming
marriage (trs. 1-2). The Marquis arrives
having discovered her new home. He offers
her a finer house and more money. Insulted
Linda orders him to leave (trs. 3-5).
Carlo then arrives. He is desperate
because his mother has ordered him to
abandon Linda and marry an aristocrat
(trs. 6-7). When Linda comes in he doesn’t
have the heart to tell her the truth
(tr. 9). Her father arrives in Paris
seeking Linda but does not recognise
her in her finery. When he does, he
thinks the worst and curses her. Pierotto
arrives with the news of Carlo’s wedding.
The news is too much for Linda who goes
mad. Pierotto leads her from the house
(trs. 10-11).
Act 3 (CD 3). The
Return to Chamounix. A spring day
and the young people are returning to
the village from Paris. They are welcomed
by the populace (tr. 1). Pierotto and
Linda are not among them. The prefect
is lamenting for Linda’s father when
Carlo tells him he has refused the arranged
marriage and his mother has consented
to his marrying Linda. The prefect tells
him of Linda’s state and Carlo swears
to be faithful to her forever (trs.
2-3). The Marquis arranges for a wedding
(trs. 4-5). Pierotto and Linda arrive,
she still in madness and nearly unconscious.
Only Pierotto’s music has kept her going
(tr. 7). The prefect hurries for Linda’s
parents but she does not recognise them.
Pierotto suggests that she will recognise
his music and Carlo speaks to her (tr.
8). Linda replies that the real Carlo
would have spoken other words to her
at which he sings the refrain from their
first act love duet. Linda joins in,
recognises Carlo, and is returned to
sanity. Everyone celebrates (trs. 9-11).
The plot is excessively
sugary. Despite the fact that the rapid
reversal from tragedy to happy ending
is rather too much for dramatic verisimilitude,
the opera is rich in lyricism and structural
innovation. It offers much good mature
Donizetti and scarcely deserves its
neglect in the theatre and on record.
Although Joan Sutherland recorded the
aria and cabaletta Ah tardi troppo…O
luce di quest anima (CD 1 tr. 7,
here) and the love duet, with Pavarotti
from a live concert, she never performed
the role on stage nor did she record
it. The only other recordings of the
work I know are of a 1972 live performance
from La Scala and the 1993 Nightingale
issue with Edita Gruberova, also recorded
live. Although well cast, the La Scala
issue is in poor sound. Gruberova’s
is a brilliantly sung assumption, but
overall her cast does not match that
on this issue, which is conducted with
élan by Gabriele Bellini. Despite
the lack of theatre staging there have
been notable concert performances including
one in New York in 1992, conducted by
Eve Queler and another in London in
1998 under Mark Elder’s baton. Both
of those performances received critical
acclaim but neither has appeared on
disc. Famously the Met staged the work
for Lily Pons in the 1930s.
Linda di Chamounix
is an ideal opera for an expressive
lyric coloratura soprano. The Italian
Mariella Devia sings the part with lyrical
grace and fine characterisation. Her
coloratura is an integral part of her
voice and interpretation. Her legato
and phrasing are secure as is her trill.
She does not go overboard in conveying
Linda’s madness. Hers is an appropriate
and affecting interpretation. Her solo
recit and cavatina (CD 1 trs. 6-7) and
duet with Carlo (CD 1 trs. 10-12) are
particularly pleasing as is her duet
with the smooth-toned, beautifully sung
and well characterised Pierotto of Sonia
Ganassi (CD 2 trs. 1-2). Luca Cononici
sings Linda’s lover Carlo. His is an
open-toned even voice and although he
doesn’t match the ever-elegant Alfredo
Kraus on the La Scala recording he is
never less than satisfactory. I hope
that isn’t damning with faint praise.
It is not intended to. He is appropriately
tentative in the act two duet but there
are times when he could gainfully have
softened his tone. The reminder of the
cast are all up to their tasks. Alfonso
Antoniozzi, as the Marquis, manages
his patter well, whilst Petteri Salomaa
as Antonio and Boguslaw Fiksinski as
The Prefect sing with strong true tone
as does Francesca Provvisionato in the
small part of Linda’s mother. The chorus
sing with clarity and vibrancy.
The booklet essay,
in English, German, French and Italian,
is mainly concerned with the evolution
of Donizetti’s operas through the genres
of semi-seria and giocosa;
there is some comment on the structure
of Linda. In passing the essay
gives an indication of the plot. The
libretto is given in full without translation.
Even if there were
well-recorded studio competition this
performance with its clear and well-balanced
acoustic characteristics would be competitive.
There is no such competition. Fashion
has long dictated that this work is
amongst the least known of the Donizetti
oeuvre. Given the fine performance and
budget price I recommend every lover
of the bel canto genre to go
out and buy it. Now. It is superb mature
Donizetti well performed. I cannot envisage
another studio recording in the near
or distant future so why wait?
Robert J Farr
Chorus of the Nationale Reisopera 
