Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
Amici e Rivali
Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Michael Spyres (tenor)
Tara Erraught (mezzo-soprano), Xabier Anduaga (tenor)
I Virtuosi Italiani/Corrado Rovaris
rec. 2019, Teatro Ristori, Verona, Italy
ERATO 9029526947 [79:02]
Here comes a well-filled disc with excerpts from a good handful of Rossini operas from his Naples years in the late 1810s. This was a period when he had two legendary contrasting tenors at hand for the leading roles, Andrea Nozzari and Giovanni David. Nozzari, who sang the premieres of all nine of the operas Rossini composed for Naples, was originally a typical tenore di grazia but lost some of the ease in the uppermost register but developed instead his lower register and became a ‘baritonal tenor’. His roles are here sung by Michael Spyres. David, who had an endless supply of top notes and a florid technique to match, took part in five of those premieres, and it is the admirable Lawrence Brownlee who steps into his shoes. The title Amici e Rivali (Friends and Rivals) may to some extent mirror the relations between the two super tenors, but refers even more to the characters they impersonate. We meet them not only in duets but other kinds of ensembles as well and for that purpose mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and tenor Xabier Anduaga contribute admirably to the totality. It is valuable and refreshing to have rather extended scenes with several characters involved instead of the traditional concept a dozen arias or twelve duets in a row.
The disc gets off to a spectacular start with the long duet from Il barbiere di Siviglia, where the plotter Figaro and Count Almaviva make up plans for Almaviva’s attempt to approach Rosina – not without the help of a well-filled purse with jingling coins that the greedy barber allows to disappear in his wide pockets. Michael Spyres’s agile darkish Figaro matches elegantly Lawrence Brownlee’s fluent and well-articulated Almaviva, a role that was his stage debut back in 2002 and also the calling card for his Metropolitan debut in 2007. It should be mentioned that neither of Nozzari and David premiered Il barbiere di Siviglia, which was first performed at the Teatro Argentina in Rome in February 1816, but Almaviva was sung by an even more famous tenor, Manuel Garcia.
In Ricciardo e Zoraide, premiered at the Teatro di San Carlo in December 1818. Brownlee (Ricciardo) excels in beautiful legato singing, effortless top notes and fluent coloratura and is well supported by Xabier Anduaga (Ernesto), and in the second scene from act II Spyres (Agorante) enters and joins Brownlee and he has the same fluency and same splendid pianissimos – two masterly bel cantoists. Zoraide was sung by Isabella Colbran who was the reigning prima donna in Naples. The relationship between her and Rossini was not only a musical matter. It became really intimate and when Rossini’s sojourn in Naples was over he and Colbran moved to Bologna where they married in 1822.
La donna del lago, based on a poem by Sir Walter Scott, opened at San Carlo in September 1819. It wasn’t particularly well received at the premiere but was fairly frequently seen around Europe up to about 1860, whereupon it disappeared and wasn’t revived until 1958. Colbran was Elena, David was Uberto and Nozzari was Rodrigo. Here we hear all three in the opening of
Act II. Elena is sung by Tara Erraught, first in duet with Uberto and then
Rodrigo joins in for a brief but virtuoso terzetto. Erraught is vibrant and expressive.
The earliest of the nine operas Rossini wrote for Naples was Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, premiered at San Carlo on 4 September 1815. The libretto is based on an episode in the life of Queen Elisabeth I of England, predating a couple of Tudor operas by Donizetti by twenty years. Colbran was Elisabeth and Nozzari the Earl of Leicester, but David wasn’t yet available. Instead Garcia was the Duke of Norfolk. Here we hear those two gentlemen in a speedy scene from the second act.
Otello in Rossini’s version differs a lot from Shakespeare’s (and Verdi/Boito’s). It plays in Venice and not in Cyprus, the fatal handkerchief is replaced by a letter, Iago’s all-important role is rather secondary (he disappears after
Act II) and instead Rodrigo is a central character. The cast includes five tenors (!) in six roles. Nozzari was Otello, Colbran was Desdemona and David was Rodrigo at the premiere, on 4 December 1816, less than a year after the Barbiere premiere. This time not at San Carlo but Teatro del Fondo. In the two excerpts from
Act II we first hear Otello and Iago in a duet, the latter sung by Xabier Anduaga, and then a terzetto, where Otello is joined by Rodrigo and Desdemona. We can savour Anduaga’s lyric Iago and Brownlee’s generous top notes, Tara Erraught is a dramatic Desdemona and Spyres in a kind of signature role is excellent in the title role. His international breakthrough was in this particular role at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival in 2008, a performance that was recorded by Naxos (review ~ review).
Le Siège de Corinthe is, somewhat confusing in the present context, a 1826 revision for the Paris Opéra of Maometto II, which was first heard in Naples in 1820 with Colbran and Nozzari. It was heavily reworked, first in 1822 for Venice after a not too successful premiere in Naples and then transferred to Paris, translated and with new characters. Néoclés (Brownlee) is first heard in a long prayer, immediately followed by a duet with Cléoméne (Spyres) and then Pamyra (Erraught) attaches herself for a quite extended trio. The singing is of the highest order
and the music is also appealing, in particular the last part.
There remains Armida, based on Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata. It was written to celebrate the re-inauguration of San Carlo on 11 November 1817, after a fire had destroyed the opera house the previous year. Colbran sang the title role, which is one of the longest and most demanding roles in Rossini’s production. She is not heard here but Rinaldo’s role, which was sung at the premiere by Nozzari, is here sung with élan by Spyres who demonstrates his impressive range. Nozzari is said to have sported a range of nearly three octaves and Spyres is not far behind. Brownlee is Ubaldo and Anduaga is Carlo. A splendid finale to an engrossing programme, which amply demonstrates that those famous bel canto-singers of the past have followers that can measure up with the legends. With playing time of almost 80 minutes and sung texts with translations, excellent playing of I Virtuosi Italiani and recorded sound to match, this is a treat for voice-fanciers.
Göran Forsling
Previous review: Rick Perdian
Contents
Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act 1: All’idea di quel metallo [8:42]
Riccardo e Zoraide, Act 1: S’ Ella mi èognor fedele … Qual sara maila gioia [7:03]
Riccardo e Zoraide, Act 2: Donala a questocore … Teco or sarà [9:25]
La donna del lago, Act 2: Nume! Se a’mei sospiri [4:10]
La donna del lago, Act 2: Qual pena in me già [1:45]
Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, Act 2: Deh! Scusa i trasporti
[4:20]
Otello, Act 2: Non m'inganno: al mio rivale [7:02]
Otello, Act 2: Ah! vieni, nel tuo sangue vendicherò le offese … Che fiero punto e questo [11:37]
Le siège de Corinthe, Act 3: Grand Dieu, faut-il qu'un peuple [4:49]
Le siège de Corinthe, Act 3: Cher Cléomène … Céleste providence [11:09]
Armida, Act 3: Inquale aspetto imbelle [8:57]
