Olivo e Pasquale

Donizetti's long-forgotten early comic opera dates from 1827, a time when he was still clearly under the influence of Rossini, as not only the plot but also the music owes a debt to The Barber of Seville. Splenetic Lisbon businessman Olivo (Bruno Taddia) intends to marry off his pretty daughter Isabella (Laura Giordano) to wealthy merchant Le Bross (Matteo Macchioni), although she loves penniless apprentice Camillo (Pietro Adaini). Olivo's brother and business partner Pasquale (Filippo Morace) schemes with the remarkably accommodating Le Bross to get Olivo to change his mind, but it will require a fake double-suicide to convince him that love should conquer all. The libretto contains a great deal of spoken dialogue (much of which finds the cast mugging mercilessly), but Donizetti also provides a succession of pleasant arias and ensembles, including a riotous first-act finale that is obviously inspired by Barber's. If the singing were stronger in this production from the 2016 Donizetti Festival held in the composer's hometown of Bergamo (which incorporates revisions he made for the Naples premiere), the piece would no doubt make a better impression. Giordano and Morace outshine the rest, but Adaini and Macchioni both exhibit nasal tenors that go sour toward the top, and Taddia is so busy blustering that he is often hit-and-miss. Still, the sets and costumes are colorful (if sometimes garish), Ugo Giacomazzi and Luigi Di Gangi's energetic staging papers over some of the dull dialogue stretches, and the orchestra plays tidily for Federico Maria Sardelli. And while this may ultimately be of only decent provincial quality, it's hard to imagine that it will have any competition in the near future, so Donizetti completists and fans of Rossini lite will be drawn to it. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)