Il Corsaro is the 13th
title in the Verdi oeuvre. Francis Toye
reckoned that after Alzira, the
composer’s 8th title, it
was the worst of Verdi’s compositions,
describing it as merely ‘another piece
of hackwork’. Certainly Il Corsaro
is second only to Alzira in
its brevity. However, whilst Verdi himself
recognised the limitations in Alzira,
he always maintained a fondness for
Il Corsaro. It was a work of
the period he called his ‘galley years’
when the pressures from impresarios
and his publisher to produce one work
after another meant constant travelling
and composition. Verdi wrote fifteen
operas between the premiere of his first
staged opera, Oberto, on 17th
November 1839 and Luisa Miller on
8th December 1849, eleven
years later. This number might seem
insignificant compared to the 27 titles
Donizetti presented in the 1830s. There
is a fundamental difference though in
that Verdi’s operas are more individually
characterised and have greater complexity
of orchestration than his earlier compatriot.
Further, Verdi travelled more extensively.
As well as presenting works in the four
major centres of Italian musical life,
Milan, Venice, Rome and Naples, he also
composed for London and Paris.
Following a quarrel
with his publisher, Ricordi, Verdi signed
a contract with the rival firm of Lucca
for three operas, one to be presented
at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. Verdi
thought a work based on Byron’s poem
would appeal in London and Piave, who
had already provided the composer with
librettos for Ernani and I
Due Foscari, the latter also based
on Byron, was commissioned. After the
presentation of Attila, the first
of the three contracted operas, Verdi’s
health succumbed to the pressure and
broke down. On his recovery after a
gap of a year, he presented Macbeth
in Florence (14th March
1847) and I Masnadieri in London
(22nd July 1847) instead
of the intended Il Corsaro. After
London, Verdi went to Paris to present
Jerusalem his first French opera.
Like Donizetti and Rossini before him
he adapted an existing work, I Lombardi,
for his debut in the French capital.
Whilst in France Lucca pressed Verdi
for the completion of the contract and
the composer set Piave’s libretto whilst
in that city.
The libretto of Il
Corsaro has a simple clear story-line
without complication or sub-plot. Corrado
the eponymous corsair leaves his beloved
mistress, Medora, to fight the Muslim
Turks. Disguised as a friar he penetrates
the court of Pasha Seid whilst his followers
torch the town. Being a chivalrous Byronic
hero he and his band end up captured
whilst ensuring the safety of the women
and children. Corrado is imprisoned
and sentenced to death by Pasha Seid,
but only after the latter’s favourite,
Gulnara, has fallen in love with him.
She murders Pasha Seid and liberates
Corrado who has to take her home with
him to safeguard her after her treachery.
On arrival at his home Corrado finds
Medora close to death having taken poison
fearing he would never return. When
she dies, bereft he flings himself into
the sea.
The brevity of the
opera does not permit Verdi to draw
convincing musical characterisations
of the principals. Never the less the
music has many felicitous Verdian touches
including a vibrant prelude (Ch. 2)
and a dramatic prison scene (Chs. 4-5).
The most convincingly drawn portrayal
is that of Pasha Seid. In his act 3
scena, Seid first rejoices at the downfall
of Corrado and then regrets he has lost
Gulnara’s heart to him (Chs. 13-14).
The role of Seid requires a Verdi baritone
of significant histrionic ability as
well as being able to encompass the
tessitura with tonal variation and strength.
Renato Bruson, the Seid in this recording,
has appeared with distinction on several
early Verdi works on DVD, mostly recorded
in the early 1990s. Here the intensity
of his acted portrayal has considerable
impact. The downside, and it is a considerable
one, is that in his late sixties at
the time of the recording, Bruson’s
voice has loosened. His vocal interpretation
is marred by his inability to hold a
legato line whilst an all too audible
unsteadiness is evident when he puts
pressure on the voice at both vocal
climaxes or when he seeks to convey
the depth of Seid’s emotions. These
limitations are a considerable, but
not overwhelming, distraction from the
enjoyment of the overall performance.
Corrado is sung by
the Bulgarian tenor Zvetan Michailov.
He has a true tenor voice with a variety
of colour and plenty of heft. Regrettably,
particularly in his first act aria Ah
si ben dite, (Ch. 4) he pushes the
voice too much, rather than letting
the Verdian line breathe the arias’
emotions. In the prison scene, where
his acting is convincing in the aria
Eccomi prigioniero (Ch. 16) he
lets the lyrical beauty of his tone
do the work and shows that he can phrase
with feeling and gentility. Less can-belto
and more caressing of the phrase would
induce some of the best addresses to
come calling at his door. Of the two
women, unusually both sopranos, the
Medora of Michela Sburlati is appealingly
languid of manner and pure of tone ((Chs.
5 and 19-20). Adriana Domato’s Gulnara
is the vocal and histrionic strong-point
of the performance. Her singing is full-toned
with a wide palette of colour as well
as considerable flexibility. Her act
2 cavatina Né sulla terra
(Ch. 7) has the odd dry patch whilst
her duets with Seid (Ch. 15) and Corrado
(Chs. 15-16) are dramatic highlights.
The warm applause she receives at the
conclusion of the performance is fully
deserved. The chorus is strong and idiomatic
as only an Italian chorus can be in
early Verdi. They, the soloists and
Verdi’s music benefit from Renato Palumbo’s
feel for the composer’s gift of melody.
He gives his soloists space for phrasing
whilst never letting the drama sag.
He balances the more simplistic passages
of the opera with those presaging the
composer’s more mature works to give
a musically satisfying performance.
The staging, as befits
the story, is straightforward. Every
scene, except the final one, is set
on board a ship. Even the prison scene
with dangling ropes looks as if it is
in the bowels of a hold. It is easy
though to miss the representation of
the burning town; and the fight between
the Turks and the corsairs is a little
stunted. The camera work is very effective,
particularly the occasional use of split
screen to show the reactions of one
singer to another. The sound is vivid
and well balanced. The booklet has a
brief, but excellent essay on the background
to the opera, its composition and premiere.
The act by act synopsis is sparse of
detail that would better explain aspects
of the plot. The arias and duets of
each act are not shown by their chapter
numbers but in sequential number from
one.
Il Corsaro may
not be the best Verdi, or even early
Verdi, but it has within it many gems
of the composer’s genius that any lover
of his music will not want to miss.
Although the parallel CD will not replace
the 1975 audio recording featuring the
young Carreras alongside the Gulnara
of Montserrat Caballé and Medora
of Jessye Norman (Philips), the straightforward
staging on this DVD, together with the
impassioned singing, allow for a more
informed and favourable opinion of the
work than was, I suspect, available
to Francis Toye.
Recommended to lovers
of Italian opera in general and Verdians
in particular.
Robert J Farr
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio Parma/Renato
Palumbo 
DYNAMIC
DVD VIDEO 33468 [107:00] 
