Donizetti: Maria di Rudenz

Advantages: In original French! Kasarova, Vargas, Furmansky
Disadvantages: They don't pronounce French well. A bit under-rehearsed

...La Favorite is one of 3 French grand opera written by the bel canto master Gaetano Donizetti (though it is often performed in Italian under the title 'La Favorita'). The story is based on Royer's and Vaez's play 'L'Ange de Nisida'. SYNOPSIS: The novice monk Fernand is dismissed from the monastery in Castile by his prior Balthazar due to his attraction to an unknown beauty whose hand he had touched during a service. Fernand takes off to Leon, where he meets the courtesan Inez and her colleagues in the service of Leonor de Guzman, the mistress of King Alphonse XI, who turns out to be the unknown beauty he met in Castile). Having mistaken her for a royalty, Fernand joins the army vowing to earn glory in battle deserving of her attention. After showing his valor in a victorious battle with the Moors, Fernand is praised by the happy... Read review

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Advantages: Classic recordings from a master of his trade.
Disadvantages: Mono recordings, Crackly in parts.

..., Savlvatore Cottone, Umberto Giordano, Francis Lapitiono, Geraldine Farrar and more. The conductors are: Walter Rogers, Josef Pasternack, Giulio Setti Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Tracks include: Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jetée "Flower song" by Georges Bizet Les pêcheurs de perles: Je crois entendre encore by Georges Bizet L'Elisir d'Amore: Una furtiva lagrima by Gaetano Donizetti La Favorita: Spirto gentil by Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor: Chi mi frena in tal momento? (Sextet) by Gaetano Donizetti Germania: Studenti! Udite! by Alberto Franchetti Fedora: Amor ti vieta by Umberto Giordano Andrea Chénier: Un dì all' azzuro spazio "Improvviso" by Umberto Giordano Die Königin von Saba, Op. 27: Magische Töne by Karl Goldmark Faust: Salut! demeure chaste et... Read review

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Advantages: Virtuosic operatic vocalism, unusual repertoire, mad scenes...
Disadvantages: Fleming's voice is maybe not best suited for this...

.... Tracks 4-6: Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) - "Maria Padilla" Scena e cavatina, Act 1 Heroine Maria is recounting to her maid Ines - sung well by Kristine Jepson - how a dream told her that her lover would return and offer her a throne. What is it about sopranos and dreams? Do they all eat too much cheese before bedtime? Ines thinks her mistress is going crazy when she gets very over-excited at the arrival of a certain "Mendez" but doesn't realise that boyfriend Mendez is in fact a Prince... I think this track would have made a much better opener for the CD, Ms Fleming seems more comfortable with the music and certainly I find the performance engages me from the start as a listener. Again, her voice copes with the amazing musical ornamentation with ease, but I'd still prefer a narrower tone just for the sake of vocal clarity... Read review

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