ROSSINI - Aureliano in Palmira (CD)

GIOACHINO ROSSINI - AURELIANO IN PALMIRA  

Donald George, Angelo Manzotti, Tatiana Korovina, Elisabeth Canis, Vincent Ordonneau

I Virtuosi di Praga, Francesco Corti

“Rossini's popular operas like THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI and LA CENERENTOLA have tended to obscure his somewhat less successful efforts such as AURELIANO IN PALMIRA (1813). But AURELIANO, despite a lukewarm premiere, was initially quite successful throughout Europe and England. By the middle of the 19th century, however, it had faded and remained neglected until recent times. Thus, the new music here was not used at the premiere perhaps because some or all of it was composed for subsequent performances or because changes in the score were made at the last minute when tenor Giovanni David as Aureliano took sick and was replaced by the lesser Luigi Mari who had trouble with the high tessitura. Despite the neglect of this opera over the years, Stravinsky, who was proud to admit to thieving in many of his compositions, reused some of the music from the overtures in the finale (or third deal) of his ballet JEU DE CARTES….this is an easy recommendation, not only to Rossini mavens but to those with an interest in early 19th century Italian opera.” (Robert Cummings)