| This live recording of Donizetti's "Les Martyrs" (the French grand opera version of "Poliuto") features the great Leyla Gencer as Pauline.
For the revised 'Poliuto' Donizetti rewrote the recitatives, divided act one in two and wrote a new finale. He also added arias, trios and the de rigueur ballet. The new four-act version was premiered as Les Martyrs at The Opéra on 10th March 1840. Poliuto in its original form was not performed until 1848. it was the maturity of Donizetti’s musical creation that captivated me. Arias extend into duets and trios with an associated orchestral complexity that marks a significant  development in his compositional style. Of the singing cast Renato Bruson as Severe is outstanding. At the time of this recording he was arguably the finest Donizetti baritone before the public. His singing had a wide palette of vocal colour, fine legato and the capacity to characterise a role second to none. Leyla Gencer’s portrayal of Pauline is at its best. Born in 1924 in Istanbul she had an enviable reputation in Rossini, Donizetti and early Verdi. I am glad to be able to be able to write that overall the performance and mono recording enable a good appreciation of the composer’s considerable achievement and one that should be heard by all lovers of his music. Performer: Francesco Signor, Oslavio di Credico, Leyla Gencer, Mario Guggia, Renato Bruson, Ottavio Garaventa, Ferruccio Furlanetto
Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti
Orchestra/Ensemble: Venice Teatro la Fenice Orchestra, Venice Teatro la Fenice Chorus |
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