2005 seems to be set
to be a premier Donizetti year for Opera
Rara. This Elvida, of 1826, and
number 16 in the composer’s canon of
operas, is issued in the same month
as his Francesca
di Foix of 1831. Already recorded,
and due for release in September, is
Pia de’ Tolomei (1837). Dom
Sebastian, Donizetti’s last completed
opera, presented in Paris in 1843, and
his sacred tragic opera Il diluvio
universale (The great flood,
1830) are scheduled for recording later
this year.
Five of Opera Rara’s
first ten recordings of complete operas
were of works by Donizetti, the first
in 1977 being Ugo conte di Parigi
(ORC 1). Since that time their repertoire
has extended to encompass the works
of Rossini and Donizetti’s contemporaries,
Meyerbeer (1791-1864), Mercadante (1795-1870)
and Simone Mayr (1763-1845). Mayr was
Donizetti’s teacher; neither a contemporary
nor a rival. He set up a conservatory
in Bergamo, Donizetti’s birthplace,
in 1806 and the young Gaetano attended,
free of charge, for eight years. Mayr’s
altruism extended to passing to Donizetti
a contract that saw the latter achieve
his first big operatic success with
Zoraida di Granata (Opera Rara
ORC 17) in Rome in January 1822. This
established the young composer on the
highly competitive compositional ladder.
The great impresario of the time, Domenico
Baribaia, offered Donizetti a contract
for Naples. His first opera in that
town, La zingara (1822) was a
great success. During the next four
hectic years Donizetti composed a further
five operas for presentation in Naples,
as well as works premiered in Rome,
Milan and Palermo.
On his return to Naples
from Palermo, Donizetti’s next commission
was for a one-act opera seria for the
Teatro San Carlo. The work was to be
staged as part of a mixed programme
on the birthday, and in the presence,
of Queen Maria Clementina. Like many
such ‘pièces d’occasion’ it received
scant attention and after a further
three performances it was forgotten.
The plot tells a simple story of a Spanish
noblewoman, Elvida (sop), who is captured
by a Moorish chieftain, Amur (bass).
Elvida resists the attentions of the
Chieftain’s son Zeider, a travesty role
(mezzo), and is rescued by her fiancé
Alfonso (ten). As is noted in various
sources and by Jeremy Commons in his
usual informative and erudite booklet
essay, Donizetti approached the commission
with little enthusiasm. However, he
had three of the greatest singers of
the time at his disposal. One was the
tenor Rubini, creator of several roles
for Donizetti and Bellini. Donizetti
wrote to Mayr that he hoped to impress
with Rubini’s cavatina (trs. 13-14)
and the quartet (trs. 20-21). The Rubini
role, fiancé Alfonso, is sung
here by Opera Rara’s ‘house’ tenor Bruce
Ford. In the aria itself Atre nube
al sole intorno (a black cloud hangs
about the sun, tr. 13) he sings with
fine open tone managing the decorations
and fioritura with aplomb. In the following
caballeta Cara imaginin del mio
(‘Dear image of my beloved’, tr. 14)
his tone is a little squeezed. However,
he launches the quartet (tr. 20) with
fine heady tone and his usual exemplary
diction is evident throughout. Donizetti
was correct in respect of both the tenor
solo and the quartet. Both are fine
pieces of writing, particularly the
dramatic quartet with concluding high
note for the soprano. At the original
performance the Flemish soprano Henriette
Méric-Lalande, renowned for her
supple voice and ability in coloratura,
sang the role of Elvida. In this performance
Annick Massis’ voice seems to me to
have gained in richness and variety
of colour without loss of flexibility.
There is not a lot of character to be
got into the part but she sings with
purity, trills well and is comfortable
in the coloratura demands (trs. 6-7).
She perhaps needs to pay a little more
attention to diction although I recognise
that singing so far up the stave poses
particular physical problems for sopranos.
As the amorous son, Jennifer Larmore’s
smooth creamy singing is heard to good
effect in her duet with Annick Massis
(trs. 9-10) where, at one point, they
match note for note. Pietro Spagnoli
sings the role of Amur, originally taken
by Luigi Lablache. His lightish bass
is clear and even, much in the vein
of ‘house’ regular Alastair Miles. He
sings with commendably even legato and
admirable diction to complement his
smooth tone. He is a welcome addition
to Opera Rara’s singer roster.
Jeremy Commons remarks
that this opera might not be Donizetti
at his greatest; sometimes, to my ears,
the music sounds inappropriately jolly
(tr. 12). The vibrant orchestral playing
under the baton of Antonello Allemandi,
allied to the committed chorus contribution
to go with the excellent solo singing,
overcome any minor reservations. I shall
return to this recording for bel
canto indulgence and pleasure. It
is a worthy and welcome addition to
the availability of Donizetti’s operatic
oeuvre on disc. I strongly recommend
all lovers of the composer’s music and
the bel canto genre to add it
to their collections. Opera Rara provide
the usual luxury packaging and there
is a full libretto with English translation.
Robert J. Farr
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Antonello Allemandi
