Mosè

Gioachino Rossini's Mosè in Egitto is a grand opera, a large-scale work whether seen in its 1818 Italian original or the 1827 French version. This 2015 semi-staged performance recorded in the Cathedral of Milan—with singers wearing period costumes, but scenery replaced by an impressionistic light show—is actually neither. Rather, it's a truncated edition of an Italian translation of the French version, retaining portions of the score dealing with Moses's liberation of the Hebrews from slavery, but omitting almost entirely the subplot about an Egyptian prince's love for Moses's niece. As a result only roughly half of the opera is included (nowhere on the cover is this acknowledged). Francesco Quattrocchi conducts the orchestra and chorus energetically, but the sound is muddied by an overly resonant acoustic, creating a blurriness that actually helps to obscure the vocal deficiencies. Now in his seventies, Ruggero Raimondi, once a great interpreter of the title role, strikes the right poses, but his voice is frayed, and the remaining soloists, while younger, aren't much better. In fact, the most interesting aspect of this release is a bonus featurette on the building of the Milan cathedral that includes a lovingly assembled montage of its external and internal beauties. But anyone looking for a performance of Mosè in Egitto should consider the superior 2011 production from the Pesaro Rossini Festival (VL-5/13), even though it moves the action to the modern Middle East. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray edition) and PCM stereo, this one is not recommended. (F. Swietek)