Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Massimo de Bernart, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna :: Donizetti - Torquato Tasso / Serra, Alaimo, Palacio, Coviello, Teatro Comunale di Genova, De Bernart

One of the best of the rest (of Donizetti)

montecastello | Dardanelle, Arkansas United States | 07/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This appealing and undeservedly neglected work gets a good performance here, especially from the soprano, tenor, and baritone. The latter is Simone Alaimo who, in the title role, sings with feeling and character (though his fast vibrato may put some listeners off). Lucianna Serra, a bit shrill at times, more often sings with considerable beauty and simplicity. Ernesto Palacio lives up to his own high standards, those of the best bel canto tenor of his generation. The orchestra sounds well enough, certainly not provincial. The chief drawback is that while this live performance is professionally recorded, the audience noises are significant with loud coughing, talking, responsorial "shushing" and such. The venue in Savona records well enough (this was back before Carlo Felice had reopened) and audience noise apart the sound is more than satisfactory.
The opera itself is a product of Donizetti's maturity, not terribly imitative apart from the occasional Rossini echo, very tuneful and combining romantic melodrama with touches of buffo. The title role is interesting in offering a sort of mad scene finale for the baritone Tasso. Why haven't more famous baritones shown an interest in this?"