Mercadante, Saverio (1795-1870) - Il Proscritto : Carlo Rizzi / Britten Sinfonia, Ramon Vargas, Ivan Ayon-Rivas, Irene Roberts, etc (2022 Stereo)(2CD) - Import 2 CD

Credits:

Mercadante, Saverio (1795-1870)

Description:

140-page booklet includes synopsis (English, French, German, Italian) and lyrics (Italian and English). World premiere session recording of Mercadante's rare opera "The Exiled Man"! Mercadante's opera "The Exiled Man" is based on the 19th century Grenoble story "Le Proscrit", first performed in 1839, which was very popular in Paris at the time. The world premiere was held at La Scala in Milan in 1841. He also rewrote it in German as Die Heimkehr des Verbannten (The Homecoming of the Exiles), which premiered in Vienna in 1844. Mercadante was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on January 4, 1842, as a setting near Edinburgh in the mid-17th century by scriptwriter Salvatore Cammarano. Weaving a tragic tale of love lost and political betrayal during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the first Protector of the Republic of England, the play tells the story of Malvina Douglas, the heroine's former husband, who is alive when she thought he was dead, and whose former husband returns the day before the heroine is to be married to another man.The tragedy is that Giorgio Argyll, her former husband, was a royalist, and Arturo Murray, another man and would-be new husband, is a Cromwell supporter (parliamentary), so Giorgio, a royalist, is also being pursued by the current regime's parliamentary party. This world premiere recording of the opera marks Mercadante's return to the bel canto lyric, but retains the harmonic and orchestral richness found in his "reform" operas. The role of Giorgio Argyll is played by the sweet, romantic voice of Ramon Vargas, a Mexican-born tenor who has earned international attention and acclaim for his remarkable career at top opera houses. The role of Arturo Murray will be sung by the Peruvian tenor Ivan Ayon Rivas, winner of the 2021 Operalia Competition, with a passionate voice reminiscent of Domingo. And as the heroine Malvina Douglas, the up-and-coming mezzo-soprano Eileen Roberts (scheduled to visit Japan in 2023 as Amneris in "Aida" at the New National Opera) delivers a superb coloratura.This performance was session-recorded at Henry Wood Hall just prior to a concert-style performance at the Barbican Center on June 28, 2022, and was described in a review of the performance as "A fine cast and conductor Carlo Rizzi's blazing precision, 180 years after its premiere, This rarity has been brought into the modern age." and "Carlo Rizzi brought out Mercadante's captivating orchestral colors and made sure that the music never ceased to fire in its belly. Furthermore, the excellent cast was overwhelmed by the high standard of singing." Highly acclaimed. Warner Music Japan