Philharmonia Orchestra, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, David Parry - A Hundred Years of Italian Opera (1820-1830) (1995)

The "100 Years of Italian Opera" series released by Opera Rara is unique in the annals of opera recordings. However, this installment is especially exciting as it documents the evolution of Italian opera during the 1820's, the decade when romanticism truly began to come into its own on the operatic stage. Opera Rara has lovingly compiled a variety of arcana written by composers famous and forgotten. Included is everything from overtures to arias, duets, ensembles, and entire scenes. Every vocal range is represented, and the dramatic material varies from old school subjects such as figures from mythology and antiquity to English monarchs.
This recording merits the highest praise for both its scholarly interest and entertainment value. Opera Rara has outdone itself with a beautifully produced booklet, though with its generous size and content, "tome" might be a more apt moniker. Each selection on the CD has a corresponding article in the booklet which gives the original cast of the opera, the singers interpreting the piece, a detailed history of the composer and the opera in question, an analysis of the music, and an Italian-English translation. Each article is thorough, fascinating, and well-written and substantially increases one's enjoyment and understanding of the selections. As if all this weren't enough, 19th-century drawings of composers, singers, librettists, and costumes are liberally strewn throughout and further serve to make these artists, and the operas they helped to create, come alive.
The singers are competent at worst, and at their best are excellent. Most of them are unknown, but some of Opera Rara's mainstays are featured here: Della Jones, Bruce Ford, Marilyn Hill-Smith, Yvonne Kenny, Diana Montague and Alistair Miles are all featured, and are all as wonderful as ever. Among the singers that may be less familiar, contralto Patricia Spence and mezzo Penelope Walker merit particular mention for their wonderful contributions to this recording. David Parry is competent and tasteful in his conducting as we would expect, and the Philharmonia Orchestra is in fine form. The Geoffrey Mitchell Choir provides the choral backup when necessary and also does a fine job.
With thirteen composers and twenty-four operas represented, it is only possible to discuss a few high points in the set. Those interested in Donizetti's oeuvre will not be disappointed, as five of his early works, all of which have yet to be revived in modern times, are represented here. Bruce Ford easily tosses off a difficult aria from the 1822 comedy "La Zingara", and Della Jones executes Byzantine coloratura pyrotechnics with confidence and panache in the rondo-finale from the obscure "Alfredo il Grande". A lovely all-female trio from his "Chiara e Serafina", and a grand and impressive bass aria from the tragedy "Il Paria" are other numbers that the Donizetti-phile will treasure. Bellini and Rossini are not forgotten, either. A recently discovered alternative aria from the former's "Adelson e Salvini" shows that even in his earliest works, Bellini was true to the lyrical, melancholy style we associate with his masterpieces. And the first of the Rossini pieces offered, a duet from "Zelmira", sounds for all the world like Bellini, despite predating the latter's first opera by 3 years.
Among the other composers featured are the prolific and underrated Pacini and Mercadante, both of whose careers eventually spanned Verdi's middle period. Pacini's "Il Contestabile di Chester", an 1829 work based on a Walter Scott novel, provides us with an exquisite love duet for soprano and en travesti mezzo-soprano. The woebegone farewell of the star-crossed lovers is interpreted with beauty and artistry by Yvonne Kenny and Susan McCullough. Della Jones again rises to the occasion in a ferociously difficult aria from Mercadante's "Nitocri", yet she is confidently in control of the death-defying leaps, scales, and trills that pepper the aria and which would so easily confound a singer of lesser abilities. A highly dramatic act finale from Mercadante's "Amleto" is also included, this selection featuring choral and ensemble writing that is so dramatic we have difficulty believing it is from an opera of 1822. Carlo Conti, a composer with whom almost no one this side of paradise is familiar, contributes a wilting and sad Bellinian lament from "Giovanna Shore" of 1829. This piece resembles a traditional heroine's aria di sortita, but it contains enough participation from the two basses that it becomes a trio. The best surprise of all comes from the selections by Carlo Coccia, a composer whose masterpiece "Caterina di Guisa" was recently successfully revived in Italy. This album features a remarkably beautiful duet from his "Rosmonda", a setting of the same libretto used for Donizetti's "Rosmonda d'Inghilterra." Again featuring Yvonne Kenny, this time with Diana Montague, the scene parallels Rosmonda's introductory scene in Donizetti's opera, but allows the pageboy Arturo to participate fully. The highlight of the entire set, however, is the final scene of Coccia's "Maria Stuart", an opera based on the same Schiller play that inspired Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda". Coccia's handling of the scene in which Mary of Scots confronts Elizabeth I is not as shocking as Donizetti's, but nevertheless brilliantly builds the tension in the Queens' encounter until they turn on each other. Coccia's librettist preserves more of Schiller's characters and this allows nine voices in the ensembles, making them unusually rich and varied in both their harmonies and counterpoint. The fact that these were two of Coccia's LEAST successful works had me salivating to hear more of his operas performed. Some of the other numbers, while not representing the best composers or operas of the day, nevertheless give us a more complete picture of the artistic climate in which some of the masterpieces were produced. This set is indispensible to anyone interested in early 19th century Italian opera, and may generate such an interest in those who lack it!

Track List:

CD 1:
Composer: Felice Romani, Giacomo Meyerbeer
01 Margherita d'Anjou, Act II: Trio: Quel parlar! Quell'aria 06:01
Alastair Miles (bass), Russell Smythe (baritone), Geoffrey Dolton (baritone)

Composer: Luigi Romanelli, Johann Simon Mayr
02 Fedra, Act II: Aria: Se fiero, Ippolito 02:32
Penelope Walker (mezzo-soprano)

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti, Bartolomeo Merelli
03 Le nozze in villa, Act II: Trio: In lei vegg'io l'oggetto 06:52
Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano), Paul Nilon (tenor), Jonathan Viera (baritone)

Composer: Giacomo Cordella
04 Lo sposo di provincia, Act I: Trio: Oh soave mia speranza 05:15
Nuccia Focile (soprano), Fiona Kimm (mezzo-soprano), Paul Nilon (tenor)

Composer: Andrea Leone Tottola, Gioachino Rossini
05 Zelmira, Act I: Duet: Perche mi guardi, e piangi? 06:09
Della Jones (mezzo-soprano), Eiddwen Harrhy (soprano)

Composer: Felice Romani, Giacomo Meyerbeer
06 L'esule di Granata, Act II: Duetto: Si, mel credi 12:44
Alastair Miles (bass), Patricia Spence (mezzo-soprano)

Composer: Andrea Leone Tottola, Gaetano Donizetti
07 La zingara, Act II: Cavatina: A te nell'appressarmi 03:58
Bruce Ford (tenor)

Composer: Felice Romani, Gaetano Donizetti
08 Chiara e Serafina, o Il pirata, Act I: Trio: Tremante, smarrito 06:02
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Della Jones (mezzo-soprano), Lynne Davies (soprano)

Composer: Saverio Mercadante
09 Amleto, Act I: Finale: Qui fu commesso, o popoli 11:57
Ian Thompson (tenor), Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano), Theresa Goble (mezzo-soprano), Susan McCulloch (soprano), Ashley Thorburn (bass)

Composer: Andrea Leone Tottola, Gaetano Donizetti
10 Alfredo il grande, Act II: Aria finale: Che potrei dirti, o caro? 07:31
Della Jones (mezzo-soprano), Ian Platt (baritone), Linda Kitchen (soprano), Theresa Goble (mezzo-soprano), Brendan McBride (tenor), David Ashman (baritone)


CD 2:
Composer: Gioachino Rossini
01 Ugo re d'Italia: Aria: Vieni, o cara 04:08
Della Jones (mezzo-soprano)

Composer: Saverio Mercadante
02 Nitocri, Act I: Cavatina: Se m'abbandoni 08:06
Nuccia Focile (soprano)

Composer: Andrea Leone Tottola, Vincenzo Bellini
03 Adelson e Salvini, Act II: Romanza: Dopo l'oscuro nembo 06:23
Jennifer Rhys-Davies (soprano), Paul Nilon (tenor)

Composer: Giuseppe Balducci
04 Tazia, Act I: Duet: non piu veggo in quel tristo sembiante 09:16

Composer: Saverio Mercadante
05 La testa di bronzo: Overture 09:15

Composer: Luigi Ricci
06 Il diavolo condannato a prender moglie, Act I: Quartet: Io
ti ho dato il sangue mio 10:23
John Rawnsley (baritone), Paul Nilon (tenor), Ashley Thorburn (bass), Jonathan Viera (baritone)

Composer: Saverio Mercadante
07 Gabriella di Vergy, Act I: Sestetto: Ah che dici! … Quant'immagini crudeli 11:20
Ivan Sharpe (tenor), Karl Daymond (baritone), Jennifer Rhys-Davies (soprano), Paul Nilon (tenor), Claire Daniels (soprano), Jonathan Viera (baritone)

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
08 Il paria, Act III: Aria: Qui pel figlio una madre gridava 17:13
John Rawnsley (baritone)


CD 3:
Composer: Carlo Coccia, Felice Romani
01 Rosmonda, Act I: Romanza: Perche non ho del vento? 16:02
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano)

Composer: Felice Romani, Vincenzo Bellini
02 Zaira, Act I: Cavatina: Amo ed amata io sono 07:04
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Lynne Davies (soprano)

Composer: Carlo Conti
03 Giovanna Shore, Act I: Romanza: A che di fiori e lagrime 05:05
Marilyn Hill Smith (soprano), Alastair Miles (bass), Clive Bayley (bass)

Composer: Domenico Gilardoni, Giovanni Pacini
04 I fidanzati, ossia Il contestabile di Chester: Part III: Duettino: Ah si ch'io t'amo … La sotto il salice 12:11
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Susan McCulloch (soprano)

Composer: Michele Carafa
05 Le nozze di Lammermoor, Act I: Quintetto: D'un orribile tempesta 11:15
Ian Thompson (tenor), Theresa Goble (mezzo-soprano), Susan McCulloch (soprano), Ashley Thorburn (bass), Jonathan Viera (baritone)

Composer: Carlo Coccia, Signor Giannone
06 Maria Stuart, regina di Scozia, Act I: Finale: Vieni, o Grande! … Ecco l'indegna 26:01
Anne Mason (mezzo-soprano), Jennifer Rhys-Davies (soprano), Paul Nilon (tenor), Bronwen Mills (soprano), Mark Glanville (bass), Alastair Miles (bass), Clive Bayley (bass), Ivan Sharpe (tenor), Bruce Ford (tenor)


Performers:
Claire Daniels, Lynne Davies, Nuccia Focile, Eiddwen Harrhy, Marilyn Hill Smith, Yvonne Kenny, Linda Kitchen, Susan McCulloch, Bronwen Mills, Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Theresa Goble, Della Jones, Fiona Kimm, Anne Mason, Diana Montague, Patricia Spence, Penelope Walker, Bruce Ford, Brendan McBridge, Paul Nilon, Ivan Sharpe, Ian Thompson, David Ashman, Karl Morgan Daymond, Geoffrey Dolton, Ian Platt, John Rawnsley, Russell Smythe, Jonathan Veira, Clive Bayley, Mark Glanville, Alastair Miles, Ashley Thorburn

Philharmonia Orchestra
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
David Parry, conductor