Search - Pietro Mascagni, Enrique Diemecke, Denia Mazzola-Gavazzeni :: Mascagni - Parisina / Mazzola-Gavazzeni · Taraschenko · Demurishvili · Vaneev · Brioli · V. Ivanov · Diemecke

A neglected masterpiece

rafael_madrid | Madrid Spain | 06/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I urge anyone interested in opera to explore this piece. Even if you dislike Mascagni's better known works (Cavalleria or Amico Fritz), you should be fascinated by this much more ambitious opera. D'Annunzio's exalted text might seem a bit passé by today's standards, but is certainly interesting, and the music matches the words extremely well. The second act is breathtaking from beginning to end, with extremely beautiful choruses (plainchant imitation mingling with a sailors' song in the distance--just stunning) and a great monologue for Parisina (sung magnificently by Mrs. Mazzola-Gavazzeni--widow of Gianandrea Gavazzeni, who was one of the supporters of this piece when Mascagni was very much out of fashion--). The conductor of this Actes Sud issue, Enrique Diemecke, manages to bring all the lushness of the orchestral part to life in an admirable way. The tenor lead is not in the same class as Mrs. Mazzola-Gavazzeni, thus detracting from the overall merit of this set. More frustrating is the fact that, apart from cuts throughout the piece, Act IV is omitted altogether (following cuts sanctioned by the composer himself, forced by practical rather than artistic considerations: the audfience at the première at La Scala in 1913 thought the piece much too long). Perhaps some record company (e.g., Bongiovanni) could get hold of tapes of the performance of Act IV (alone) conducted by the late Maestro Gavazzeni in the '90s, as this would compement what is otherwise a great performance."