Tancredi and
L’Italiana in Algeri launched
Rossini on an unstoppable career that
saw him become the most prestigious
opera composer of his time. This burgeoning
reputation did not guarantee the success
of his next two operas, both commissioned
by La Scala, Milan, where they were
only modestly received. The first, Aureliano
in Palmira, opened the Carnival
(winter) season on 26 December 1813.
Giovanni Velluti (1761-1861), the last
of the great castrati, sang the hero
Arsace. It was the only time that Rossini
wrote a work for castrato voice. Despite
its modest reception Aureliano in
Palmira was given fourteen
times in the Milan season. The second
of the Milan duo, Il Turco in Italia,
Rossini’s thirteenth
opera, was initially seen by the Milanese
as a repeat of L’Italiana in Algeri
and they thought themselves short-changed.
The work’s originality and quality were
quickly recognised and Il Turco spread
to other Italian cities, and abroad,
where, whilst not being as original
or enjoyable as L’Italiana in Algeri,
it was received with acclaim.
The role of Fiorilla
is a gift for a singing actress with
coloratura flexibility. Maria Callas
instigated a revival of the work at
Rome’s Elissio Theatre in 1950 after
it had been largely forgotten for the
best part of a century. What she was
like on the stage as Fiorilla can only
be imagined. What is certain is that
the performances were in the period
when she carried significantly more
weight than at the time of this recording.
In the eight months previously she had
lost 25 kilos and become the svelte
and chic prima-donna that the world
came to know. As her body mass was reduced
so was the strong tonal colour of her
voice which became somewhat thinner.
As far as the role of Fiorilla is concerned
that is of little matter as the role
is of the capricious and flighty wife
of an elderly husband who puts herself
around male company in general. She
takes a fancy to Selim who in turn has
spurned Zaida, his long time lover.
The plot is complicated by the fact
that a poet, Prosdocimo who is looking
for a story for his next play sees in
the circumstances of the various liaisons
the perfect situation for his plot.
All ends well with Fiorilla duly contrite
about her behaviour and Selim and Zaide
back together. The poet has his plot
and only Narciso seems without his earlier
innamorato.
Il Turco in Italia
was the sixth opera recorded by Callas
under her contract with Columbia/Angel.
For other works either side of it Walter
Legge seemed more concerned with his
diva filling holes in his company’s
catalogue. It was, after all, being
eclipsed by Decca with their diva Renata
Tebaldi, recording her in roles of which
she had stage experience. This recording
was the exception. It was also unusual
in that Rossini operas on record were
few and far between. Apart from the
Il Barbiere, EMI’s Il Comte
d’Ory under Gui, and a 1958 recording
by Philips of Mosé, with
Nicola Rossi-Lemeni in the title role,
the catalogue lacked recordings by the
composer well into the LP era. Even
the present one is a very abbreviated
version at around 113 minutes compared
with the 146 minutes on the CBS recording
with Montserrat Caballé as Fiorilla.
The work itself is
full of humour and felicitous situations
brought about by Prosdocimo as he seeks
to complete his plot. The accent is
on duets, trios and ensembles rather
than solo display arias that characterise
both Rossini’s other opera buffa and
his Naples opera seria. The young Nicolai
Gedda as Narciso stands out among the
supporting cast in one of his earliest
recordings. His light and heady perfectly
pitched tone is a particular pleasure
(CD 1 tr. 23). Franco Calabrese as Geronio
is adequate rather than distinguished
while his fellow bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni,
as Selim, is often tonally woolly (CD
2 trs. 2-3). The baritone Mario Stabile
as the poet Prosdocimo has biting incisive
diction but is not always perfectly
steady whilst the Zaida of Jolanda Gardino
is thin and tweety (CD 1 tr. 6). These
are minor deficiencies in a performance
that is dominated, in this abbreviated
version, by Callas’s Fiorilla. Her singing
is flexible with the odd thin patch
at the very top of the voice (CD 1 trs
8-9). For the most part her coloratura
is secure and her voice well supported.
There are none of the sour notes that
came to characterise so many of her
assumptions as the society figure replaced
the singer. As so often with Callas
it is her capacity to infuse a phrase
with meaning and expression that distinguishes
her performance and this recording.
The conducting of Gianandrea Gavazzeni
ably and sympathetically supports Callas’s
performance. Unlike Serafin in the appendix
of Rosina’s aria, he eschews appoggiaturas
and embellishments.
The welcome appendices
include Callas’s recording of Rosina’s
Una voce poco fa and the Bell
Song from Lakmé. These
are taken from the recording sessions
in London that followed shortly after
those for Il Turco in Milan.
At the time these performances caused
quite a stir. Since then we have heard
other sopranos such as Sutherland in
this repertoire. With her greater body
of tone, and aided by Decca’s superlative
recording, Sutherland is often now seen
as queen in this repertoire, although
it must be said that she has neither
the clarity of diction nor the capacity
of characterisation of Callas.
The mono recording
on this pair of CDs is exceptional for
presence and body. It is a credit to
Mark Obert-Thorn and his team’s restoration
work on two sets of British LP pressings.
The issue is also very generously tracked.
This is a particular virtue in an opera
such as Il Turco and which is
divided into no fewer than forty four
tracks, making it very easy to follow
Keith Anderson’s excellently clear track-related
synopsis.
More complete stereo
versions have followed this groundbreaking
recording although that involving Cecilia
Bartoli under Chailly’s baton is the
only one currently available (Decca
458 924-2). The young Ramon Vargas and
some of the best Italian buffa singers
of the day partner her. Whilst embellishments
are to the fore, so too are far too
many aspirates for my comfort. For those
who are being introduced to this delightful
work by this affordable recording and
want a more complete version of the
work, I suggest they wait for Caballé
or for Marriner’s (Philips) with Sumi
Jo as Fiorilla to re-appear in the catalogue
at mid-price.
Robert J Farr
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