Notes and Editorial Reviews
A major operatic discovery! A live 1958 performance from the San Carlo Opera in Naples, starring soprano Rosanna Carteri and tenor Giuseppe Gismondo. This rare video documents the extraordinary level of performance of opera in Italy in the 1950s, with equal emphasis on lyrical singing and dynamic, nuanced acting. The supporting cast includes the renowned baritone Giuseppe Valdengo as Rambaldo, Ornella Rovero as Lisette, and Gino Sinimberghi as Prunier. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro di San Carlo Napoli is under the direction of the legendary maestro Vincenzo Bellezza, who had conducted the US premiere of La Rondine at the Metropolitan Opera in 1928.
Includes subtitles in English, French, Japanese, Italian, and
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Spanish. 107 minutes.
Cast:
Magda……………………………………………………….Rosanna Carteri
Lisette……………………………………………………… Ornella Rovero
Ruggero…………………………………………………Giuseppe Gismondo
Rambaldo……………………………………………… Giuseppe Valdengo
Prunier…………………………………………………….Gino Sinimberghi
Périchaud………………………………………………………Mario Frosini
Gobin……………………………………………………Antonio Pomposelli
Crébillon……………………………………………………. Silvo Santarelli
Yvette………………………………………………………. Giulietta Pulissi
Bianca………………………………………………………….Carla Schlean
Suzy-Lolette………………………………………………….Anna Di Stasio
Maggiordomo………………………………………………Raffaele Bisogni
Cantore…………………………………………………………Teresa Rossi
Georgette………………………………………………… Tina Quagliarella
Gabriella………………………………………………………..Fiorella Ortis
Adolfo……………………………………………………….Gianni Avolanti
Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro di San Carlo Napoli
Conducted by Vincenzo Bellezza
R E V I E W:
This is, by my reckoning the fifth DVD of this sparkling Puccini opera issued over the last decade. Quite an achievement for an opera that lay neglected, derided and misunderstood for so many years in the last century. I will forego repeating the detail here.
This is a historic recording of an Italian TV broadcast back in 1958, transmitted in black and white and in mono sound, It is an invaluable document of a rare performance.
The visual elements are not at all up to modern standards. Shots are not well framed, some are ill-focused and editing is crude, especially in the busy crowds at Bulliers in Act II. Nevertheless this should not deter Puccini fans and particularly those who, like me, are enthralled by this opera. Scenery and costumes in Acts I and II are in the appropriate mid-19th Century style and the set for Act III really does take you into a sunlit Mediterranean resort - unlike the ghastly modern (money-saving?) production travesties put on by some of today’s Italian opera houses. There are some very telling felicities in this San Carlo production too. One of the most remarkable comes at the end of Act II where an off-stage singer warns Magda not to trust in love. This is a forewarning reinforced by glimpses, through an opaque window at the back of the set, of passers-by outside huddled up against wind and rain. The sound is very good thanks to Dolby processing.
The highlight of this production is the performance of Rosanna Carteri in the lead role of the courtesan Magda who forsakes the comfort of a rich man’s protection for the romantic love of the young student Ruggero. The beautiful, honey-voiced Carteri is enchanting. Her awakening to reality and heartbreak in Act III is affecting indeed.
Rosanna Carteri (b December 14th 1930) was just 28 when this recording was made - just the right age for this role, one imagines. Carteri has left a number of recordings. The world of opera lost one of its most dazzling divas when she decided to retire from singing in the mid-1960s while still only in her thirties to devote herself to her family.
In support, Giuseppe Gismondo, is in ardent voice but his acting is stilted and unconvincing. Being slightly shorter than Carteri does not help him either. Gino Sinimberghi is a dashing Prunier. Ornella Rovero is in good voice for Lisette but she is rather matronly for the role and past being convincingly coquettish. Giuseppe Gismondo makes a stern but not entirely unsympathetic Rambaldo - you can understand his willingness to take Magda back into his protection at the end.
For admirers of La Rondine this historic production is a must, even though it’s in monochrome and mono sound. Carteri enchants.
-- Ian Lace, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
1.
La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Rosanna Carteri (Soprano),
Gino Sinimberghi (Tenor),
Mario Frosini (Bass),
Giuseppe Valdengo (Baritone),
Ornella Rovero (Soprano),
Giuseppe Gismondo (Tenor),
Anna di Stasio (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Vincenzo Bellezza
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Naples Teatro San Carlo Chorus,
Naples Teatro San Carlo Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1917; Italy
Date of Recording: 1958
Venue: Live San Carlo Opera, Naples
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