Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1868)
Lucrezia Borgia - melodrama in a Prologue and Two Acts
(1833)
Lucrezia Borgia - Dimitra Theodossiou (soprano); Gennaro - Roberto De
Biasio (tenor); Don Alfonso, Duke of Ferraro - Enrico Giuseppe Iori (bass);
Mafio Orsini, a young nobleman - Nidia Palacios (mezzo); Astolfo, Mario Corna
(bass); Gubetta, Giuseppe Di Paola (bass); Rustighello, Luigi Albani (tenor)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Bergamo Music Festival/Tiziano Severini
rec. live, Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo, Italy, 30 November, 2 December 2007
NAXOS 8.660257-58 [55.56 + 76.45]
I approached this review as if taking an examination. Why so after a thousand
or so recordings and live performance reviews? Live performances, or at least
DVD recordings in this instance, are the reason for my trepidation. In 2009
I reviewed a performance of Puccini’s La Rondine (see review)
from the 2007 Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago, Italy. I allowed the well
acted and sung performance of the heroine to turn my critical head. A respected
colleague, whilst agreeing in part, was more realistic and pungent in his criticism
of the overall production (see review).
Worse, when the CDs of the performance were issued by Naxos other colleagues
were scathing about aspects of the singing that I, distracted by the ‘goings-on’ on
the stage had failed to stress sufficiently. This is germane to my situation
now, having reviewed the DVD of the performance from which these CDs derive
(see review)
and which I summarised as a well sung performance of an opera from Donizetti’s
golden period. So now I have to face up to the examination of that summary
in respect of the sound only.
As I noted, this Lucrezia Borgia was the inaugural production at the
2007 Bergamo Music Festival, held every autumn, and which used to be called
the Donizetti Festival. Lucrezia Borgia had opened the Carnival Season
at La Scala on 26 December 1833. Based on Victor Hugo, and with the benefit
of Romani’s verses, it found favour with Milan’s audiences and
was soon being produced elsewhere in Italy and abroad. The action of the story
takes place in Venice and Ferrara in the early sixteenth century. Lucrezia’s
husband, Duke Alfonso misunderstands her interest in the youth Gennaro and
suspects an affaire. In reality, Gennaro is Lucrezia’s son, his identity
known only to her. Alfonso orders the arrest of Gennaro on a charge of having
insulted the Borgia family by defacing their family crest on the wall of the
palace. Lucrezia arranges his escape. Later, at a banquet Lucrezia poisons
a number of her enemies and is devastated to find that Gennaro is among their
number. Gennaro refuses the antidote because the amount is not sufficient for
all his companions as well. He is horrified when Lucrezia confesses she is
his mother. Gennaro dies and the distraught Lucrezia follows suit.
Of the performance, I noted the presence of the formidable Dimitra Theodossiou
in the eponymous role and suggested she was ably supported by good, but not
international class, singers. As I noted in my review of the Roberto Devereux from
the 2006 Festival (see review)
whilst Theodossiou cannot claim the vocal elegance and floated pianissimos
of Montserrat Caballé in this repertoire, and although she must be tired
of comparisons with Callas, she does bring committed acting on a par with her
Greek compatriot. She is justifiably considered the Norma de nos jours (see review)
and features widely in Italy and elsewhere in the bel canto repertoire.
She is at her best in this performance in Lucrezia’s dramatic confrontation
with Don Alfonso, her husband, who has tricked her into demanding the death
of Gennaro, unbeknown to him, her son. After taking him full on to the extent
of reminding him that she has seen off three husbands, Lucrezia ends up pleading
desperately for Gennaro’s life (Ch 2 Trs 3-4) as her husband, still convinced
they are lovers, only offers her the choice of poison or the sword for the
boy. In the DVD Dimitra Theodossiou’s skills as a dramatic vocal actress
are consummate in this scene.
Theodossiou’s wide variety of tonal depth, colour and expression are
also heard in the final moving cabaletta Era desso il figlio mio. Donizetti
had added this for a revival at La Scala in 1840 (CD 2 Tr.21). In the contrasting
lovely Tranquilla ei posa … Come’ e bello! … Mentre
geme of the prologue, as Lucrezia arrives in Venice and espies the sleeping
Gennaro, her pianissimos at the start could have been steadier (CD 1 Trs.5-7).
However the overall expressive portrayal is wholly credible. In sound alone
Theodossiou justifies those comments and I would only be less generous in respect
of unsteadiness and poor legato in that opening scene. She is no Caballé but
her dramatic interpretation is as good as Callas might have made without the
harsh tone and curdled notes that marred too many of the latter’s performances.
The only other female voice in Lucrezia Borgia is of Maffio Orsini,
the young companion of Gennaro. A trousers role, it is sung by the mezzo Nidia
Palacios. I noted her zany hairstyle, over-feminine appearance, and lack of
low notes but failed sufficiently to stress her vibrato, certainly more intrusive
in sound only (CD 1 Tr.3). I admired the singing and appearance of Roberto
De Biasio as Gennaro as I had done in Maria Stuarda from the 2007 Sferisterio
Opera Festival (see review)
and as Edgardo in the 2006 Bergamo performance of Lucia di Lammermoor (see review).
In sound only I catch more edge on his tenor and would hope for a touch more
mellifluousness. His willingness to sing mezza voce continues to be
welcome as is his ardent characterisation. As Lucrezia’s husband Alfonso,
I continue to find the dark-toned bass, well-coloured and covered tone of Enrico
Giuseppe Iori as fully realising the nature of Duke Alfonso’s implacable
character. I am also more aware, in sound only, of his quick, but not too intrusive,
vibrato. Of the other male voices the Rustighello of Luigi Albani is rather
dry-toned.
The recording does vary in acoustic from time to time as characters move around
the stage, more acceptable in video perhaps and certainly not as noticeable.
As before, I am impressed by the conducting of Tiziano Severini and to which
I would add the contribution of the chorus.
So how has my examination gone? Well, perhaps seven plus out of ten with a
lenient examiner. Like the next time I go to a vocal competition I must beware
the visual distraction of the glamorous soprano as I mark my card, and my wife
likewise the handsome tenor. So it must also be in mind when assessing the
singing in a staged performance of opera, whether live or on DVD.
Prospective purchasers of this issue might have it in mind that Sony are about
to re-issue the former RCA 1966 recording featuring Montserrat Caballé and
Alfredo Krauss with Shirley Verrett as Orsini and Ezio Flagello as Alfonso
conducted by Jonel Perlea; formidable competition.
Robert J Farr