Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Franco Capuana, Siena Opera Orchestra :: Donizetti: Il furioso all'isola di San Domingo

AS A HISTORICAL CURIOSITY ONLY!

Alfredo R. Villanueva | New York, NY United States | 09/28/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"THE RECORDING DOES NOT DESERVE 3 STARS, BUT . . . I COULD NOT BE CRUEL. LET'S SAY IT'S A TRIAL RUN FOR ELIXIR D'AMORE. THE SOUND IS ATROCIOUS--BUT THAT IS A BYPRODUCT OF ITS BEING RECORDED LIVE. I HATE SOUBRETTE VOICES LIKE TUCCI'S--BUT THAT IS A PERSONAL HANG-UP. AND YET, IT IS THE ONLY RECORDING I COULD FIND. SO I GOT IT. BETTER TO HAVE HEARD IT THAN NOT."

Opera on the Beach

Lorenzo Moog | Seattle, WA USA | 12/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is an interesting work; Donizetti's 39th opera, "Il Furioso all'isola di San Domingo" (prima 1832; Teatro Valle, Rome). "The Madman of the Island of San Domingo" is the telling of a man whose wife has been so unfaithful that he flees to the island of San Domingo in the Caribbean and, crazed, is in the care of a family there. His wife and brother search for him and are by coincidence both are washed ashore from shipwrecks and then a sort of made for tv comedy/drama unfolds (libretto; Jacopo Ferretti) until the very clever ending whereby the husband and wife decide to settle their differences by shooting each other. All is well in the end. What a great opportunity for staging and production! I know of no other Carribean setting for an opera and it would be great to see a production of this in the dark of winter with a beach set and palm trees and lots of white and turquoise. What a great opportunity for the prima donna to come on stage dripping wet from the shipwreck.....lots of skin and light and beautiful music because, yes, this opera contains some beautiful music.

Unfortunately one is hard pressed to find it in this very poor 2CD set from Siena, 1958; of which Bill Parker, in the notes, says regarding this rare revival, "...of which this recording is the happy and treasured momento". I agree, however, due to the recording quality, it is a real strain to listen to it; and unpleasant. There is a madcap quality to Donizetti's tone and timing that is pleasing and the relationship disfunctions of the various characters feels quite contemporary. The recording quality makes any reflection on the voice quality, on my part, quite dubious. I'm sure they were doing their very best and they all sound accomplished. They are Gabriella Tucci (Elenora), Ugo Saverese (Cardenio), Nicola Filacuridi (Fernando), Silvio Maionica (Bartolomeo), Giuliana Tavolaccini (Marcella), Alfredo Maionica (Kaidama) with the Siena Opera Orchestra & Chorus rather tepidly conducted by Franco Capuana.

The music is not without distinction and in fact for the most part delightful. Donizetti shows his playful side with 'Scellsi la via brevvissima" with great laughing parts for the Chorus (which he first used in "Alina, Queen of Golconda"). The storm setting for ""Aiuto!...Vado io...Faro io" is very good. There is a wonderful theme that weaves through the opera and several tunes stand out. It certainly needs a good stage performance somewhere, I'd suggest Minnesota Opera (in January). As to this "Il Furioso" I think it is only for dedicated-Donizetti-types and Completists."