In part two of my Rossini
Conspectus I noted that there was
no available recording of Matilda
di Shabran, Rossini’s 32nd
opera. Juan Diego Florez had reprised
the role of Corradino at the Pesaro
Festival in 2004. It was as Corradino
that Florez was projected to fame when,
aged 23, he jetted in to the Pesaro
Festival in 1996 to replace the scheduled
tenor, Bruce Ford, who had withdrawn.
In the eight years between his Pesaro
appearances as Corradino, Florez has
become the Rossini tenor of choice.
I expressed the hope that his recording
company had been present, as they had
been for his Festival performances in
Le Comte Ory in 2003, with the
performance later issued by DG (477
5020). The good news is that his recording
company engineers were present.
Two years on, this superbly presented,
recorded and sung version becomes available
and certainly fulfils all my hopes as
well as closing a major gap in the Rossini
discography. The luxury presentation,
in a multi-fold form (partial picture
below) and with background essay by
the Rossini scholar Richard Osborne,
track-related synopsis and full libretto,
all in English, French and German, is
available at a special price for a limited
period.
After the premiere
of Maometto on 3 December 1820,
Rossini went to Rome where he had agreed
to write a new work to open the Teatro
Apollo’s Carnival Season on 26 December.
He had already started on the composition
of Matilde di Shabran in Naples
but on his arrival in Rome it was obvious
that the libretto was not suitable.
Rossini turned to his friend Jacopo
Ferretti, librettist of La Cenerentola,
who made further changes to a libretto
he had already started to adapt, simply
changing the names to suit the announced
name of ‘Matilde’. The result of Ferretti’s
efforts was a long, action-packed and
hilarious melodramma giocoso that even
the speedy Rossini could not ingest
in the short time available. He limited
self-borrowings to the overture, taken
from his 28th opera, Eduardo
e Cristina, a duet and chorus. Rossini
enlisted his friend, the young composer
Pacini, to assist him by writing three
numbers. All the numbers by Pacini were
replaced by music composed by Rossini
when Matilde di Shabran was
presented in Naples in the following
November after its delayed Rome premiere
at the Teatro Apollo on 24 February
1821. It is in the Naples version that
the work is performed on this recording.
It had a mixed reception but quickly
spread to other Italian cities. It reached
London in 1823 and New York in 1834.
Its plot is not as
complex as is often made out. Yes there
is a tyrant misogynist, a mad poet and
damsels being thrown off cliffs, but
it is all fairly straightforward. Corradino
Ironheart, the high-lying tenor role
sung in this performance by Juan Diego
Florez, is a parody of a tyrant. He
is belligerent and said to loathe woman
and poets and any other affront to his
machismo. Something of a recluse he
lives in his Spanish castle whose entrance
is adorned with threatening slogans.
He has taken Edoardo, the son of his
enemy Raimondo, a travesti role sung
by Hadar Halevy, a prisoner. He has
also given houseroom to Matilde, orphaned
daughter of a former comrade-in-arms,
sung by Annick Massis. Matilde is well
equipped, pace Rosina in Il Barbiere
di Siviglia, to deal with Corradino’s
ranting and proceeds to cajole and hypnotize
him into helpless submission. Having
done so she deserts him for Edoardo,
leaving him to fend off the advances
of the Contessa d’Arco sung by Chiara
Chialli who has presented herself as
a rival for Corradino’s hand. He determines
to get rid of Matilde and despatches
the itinerant poet Isidoro, sung by
the character bass Bruno de Simone,
to pitch her over a cliff. The music
tells us that this might be an opera
seria moment but it quickly hints that
the shrewish feminist will come to no
harm. With Edoardo’s father arriving,
and the castle on war footing, the second
act is a typical Rossini racing sequence
of musical scenes and ensembles. With
the first act being over two hours long
there are other incidents and roles
to complete the mélange in what
is really an opera buffa with more dramatic
content than the genre normally gets.
With the thoroughness
the work deserves the Pesaro festival
have cast the performance with care.
Florez was an obvious choice as Corradino.
He flings out high Cs in E palese
il trademento (CD 3 tr.9) and well-articulated
coloratura passages, with that distinctive
plangent tone of his to give both vocal
thrill and histrionic credibility. Annick
Massis as Matilde lacks the vocal charisma
of Florez. Nonetheless her singing,
particularly in Ami alfine (CD3
tr.20) is well characterised and particularly
affecting with good divisions; she manages
the climactic finale with only the slightest
feel of strain (tr.22). Earlier, her
expressive singing and characterisation
in the act two sextet, as Corradino
condemns her to death, is excellent
(CD3 trs.9-11). The itinerant poet Isidoro,
who has to do the dirty deed, is also
well sung and characterised by Bruno
de Simone. His is not a juicy tone but
every word, like that of the other singers
in the cast, is clear and pointed. Of
these other singers the physician Aliprando
sung by Marco Vinco and the Ginardo
of Carlo Lepore are noteworthy particularly
in their contributions to the ensembles
(CD2 trs. 8-15). Likewise Hadar Halevy
as the young son of Raimondo sings with
clarity, good tone and expression (CD
1 trs.14-16).
There is no bland vocalisation
in this performance and none of the
singing is less than adequate - often
far better. It has all the frisson of
a live occasion and the benefits of
adequate rehearsal and an atmospheric
recording. Perhaps important for those
that find applause intrusive to the
flow of the work, the Decca engineers
have, as if by sonic magic, got rid
of it except for the ends of the acts.
Similarly, stage noise is hardly evident.
Add vibrant and idiomatic conducting
from Riccardo Frizza and the outcome
is as good as one could hope. To put
the final shine on the whole enterprise,
the excellent booklet has the essay
by Richard Osborne, a track-related
synopsis and full libretto, all with
English, French and German translations.
Robert J Farr
In outstanding fashion this fills an
important gap in the composer’s discography.
A work of Rossini’s compositional maturity,
I cannot see it being bettered. ...
see Full Review
Orchestra Sinfónica de Galicia/Riccardo
Frizza 
