Saverio Mercadante - Virginia - Benini, London Philharmonic Orchestra

 

Release Date: March 10, 2009 Label: Opera Rara Number of discs: 2 Composer: Saverio Mercadante Performer: Maurizio Benini, London Philharmonic Orchestra cd info/ buy

Review:

Virginia is given two dates because, though completed in 1851, the Neapolitan censor would not approve the libretto, so the composer put the work away until the situation became favorable, all recounted in Jeremy Commons’s accompanying essay. The plebians Virginia and Icilio are betrothed, but the noble Appio wants her for himself; however, miscegenation between plebs and nobles is illegal. After much machination, Virginio stabs his daughter after Appio has had Icilio murdered, so that Appio will not have his way. Confrontations are many, including a duet for the tenors Appio and Icilio, not to mention the finale to act I, which is a trio for the two men and Virginia. Mercadante’s long-lined melodies are still a significant feature of his work, as well as the cabalettas, which vary in effectiveness. The concertati of the other two finales are as imposing as any written by the composer, with an introductory stanza by one of the principals followed by a grand ensemble. Once again, it is the soprano who seems to be from another age when vocal extravagance was important, but the same is true of Verdi’s operas of that period, where his heroines must also carry out amazing feats of derring-do. Yes, there are similarities in formal structure, but we sense that the older composer is no longer seeking originality, while the younger man is for the moment writing operas that are more and more concise. Maurizio Benini and the London Philharmonic are in superb form, instrumental obbligatos eliciting sterling performances. Susan Patterson—a newcomer to the Opera Rara ranks—in the title role shows off a voice capable of all the composer’s demands, from sheer virtuosity to loving fiancée to tragic figure. I was far less happy with the Appio of Paul Charles Clarke, whose tendency to break the vocal line with overly emphatic vowels often had me cringing. Charles Castronovo’s Icilio is quite different, the voice not as rich but making his dramatic points while remaining musical. The microphone is not always kind to his rapid vibrato. Stefano Antonucci’s Virginio may not offer the tonal clarity or richness of some other baritones, but his command of line is never in doubt, so the dilemma with which he is confronted is clearly rendered. Andrew Foster-Williams’s few utterances show off a nicely contrasted bass voice.--Joel Kasow Performer:  Paul Charles Clarke (Tenor), Andrew Foster-Williams (Bass Baritone), Susan Patterson (Soprano), Charles Castronovo (Tenor), Katherine Manley (Soprano), Mark Le Brocq (Tenor), Stefano Antonucci (Baritone) Conductor:  Maurizio Benini Orchestra/Ensemble:  Geoffrey Mitchell Choir,  London Philharmonic Orchestra Period: Romantic Written: 1824; Vienna, Austria

 

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Saverio Mercadante - Orazi e Curiazi - Parry, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus

Release Date: December 12, 1995 Label: Opera Rara Number of discs: 3 Composer: Saverio Mercadante Performer: David Parry, Nelly Miricioiu, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus cd info/ buy

Review:

Mercadante has his own voice, peculiarly vital and martial, relying heavily on alla marcia tempi and blocks of blaring brass, alternating with moments of genuine pathos. There are some really engaging extended duets between soprano and tenor, and baritone and tenor, reminiscent of "I Puritani" and the best of Donizetti. Despite his declared intent to purify and cleanse operatic convention à la Gluck, Mercadante was no more able than any other successful composer of his day to shake off the forms his audiences demanded, so the required cabalettas and static choruses persist, but he mostly succeeds in giving them drama and emotional sincerity by a combination of musical invention and swift-moving concentration. He is not the melodist that the best of his contemporaries were, but he employs many, oddly engaging, harmonic sidesteps and unexpected turns in the melodic line. He also has at his service a bold, compact libretto which sustains dramatic confrontation and permits quiter moments of reflection to counter the facile accusation that he was an unremittingly "loud" composer. Set pieces such as the tenor's recitative and aria which open Act 3 can stand comparison with anything Verdi wrote in the 1840's, I think. He manages a telling juxtaposition between the brutal, macho world of Roman honour and warfare and the tender desperation of thwarted love and shattered friendship, making original use of harps, cor anglais and even silences. Chief in counteracting the preponderance of testosterone in this score is the extraordinary Nelly Miricioiu, who here justifies the inevitable, clichéd comparison with Callas. She does indeed often sound like La Divina in her vocal colouring and use of portamento. She produces some miraculous pianissimi, displays spectacular coloratura and lets rip in the more fraught moments like a proper spinto soprano. She is very touching in her misery - an utterly convincing vocal actress - and does some remarkable things with her voice, the odd moment of cloudy diction and questionable intonation notwithstanding. The supporting cast is very strong: Marcus Jerome does not have an especially large or juicy tenor but it is sweet, plangent and penetrating; that aria I mention above which opens Act 3 is a peach. He is well matched by Anthony Michaels-Moore's strong flexible baritone and Alastair Miles' sonorous bass as the elder Orazio. The playing - especially by the brass and woodwind - and conducting are exemplary.   Orazi e Curiazi, tragedia lirica Composed by Saverio Mercadante Performed by Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus with Nelly Miricioiu, Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Marcus Jerome, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Alastair Miles, Paul Nilon Conducted by Paul McGrath, David Parry

 

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