January did not have many great releases but February promises to show diverse operas and rarities for people explore.
The first release is of Rossini's rarely heard work Mose in Egitto. The production by Graham Vick was one of the most controversial at the Pesaro festival receiving a round of boos at the opening night. The Cast however is exceptional starring Sonia Ganassi, Riccardo Zanellato, Alex Esposito and Dimtry Korchak. Roberto Abbado leads over the Bologna Orchestra.
Gaetano Donizetti's rare opera Rita will see its world premiere recording on Dynamic. The comic gem stars Aldo Caputo, Priscille Laplace and Alberto Rinaldi. Claudio Scimone leads the opera Royal de Wallone.
Tutto Verdi will release Il Corsaro starring Bruno Ribeiro, Andrea Papi, Irina Lungu and Luca Salsi. The opera from the Teatro Regio di Parma is conducted by Carlo Montanaro.
Dukas rarely heard work Ariane Barbe-bleue gets a release from the Liceu in Barcelona. The production stars veteran Jose Van Dam, Patricia Barden and Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet. Claus Guth's defining and inspiring production comes to life under the baton of Stephane Deneve.
Tutto Verdi releases Verdi's masterpiece Luisa Miller with Leo Nucci. While the cast is far from stellar, it is always interesting to see a new take on the fascinating work. Marcelo Alvarez and Fiorenza Celodins star in the lead roles and while they are not very successful, Leo Nucci's turn as Miller is outstanding. Donzato Renzatti's inspired conducting makes the DVD worth the price or at least a viewing.
Tutto Verdi series continues to be released with La Battaglia di Legnano. Andrew Richards who makes his Met debut this year leads the cast with veteran soprano Dimitra Theodossiou. Boris Brott conducts Verdi's early work.
Jonas Kaufmann's latest CD explores the works of Wagner as he delves into Siegfried, Tristan und Isolde and Tanhausser. In an interview about the CD Kaufmann stated that he is looking forward to doing some of these roles in the near future. The CD is conducted by the extraordinary Donald Runnicles.
The final release is also a rare Rossini work entitled Adelaide di Borgogna. The production directed by Pierre'Alli boasts an incredible cast starring Daniela Barcelona, Jessica Pratt and Nicola Ulivieri. Dimitri Jurowski leads the Bologna Orchestra.
Mose in Egitto is wonderfully sung and apallingly staged. Graham Vick wanted to make a political statement about the state of the Middle east and in so doing, created a story line that is illogical and frequesntly at odds with the libretto. I wonder if he even read it. Sad to see a wonderful work that is nearly 200 years old treated with such disrespect, to say nothing of the Moses story in the bible which is much older.
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