Rosmonda d'Inghilterra

Coming between his best-known works—L'elisir d'amore (1832) and Lucia di Lammermoor (1835)—Donizetti's 1834 melodramma serie fell into obscurity until it was exhumed 30 years ago for concert performances that culminated in a recording featuring Renée Fleming. This staging at the 2016 Donizetti Festival in the composer's hometown of Bergamo marks the first modern mounting, and it serves as a fine example of bel canto. Anyone who has seen The Lion in Winter will be familiar with the story: King Henry II has taken a young mistress named Rosamond Clifford—much to the chagrin of his wife, Queen Eleanor. In this much-embellished version, Rosamond is the daughter of the king's chief advisor, kept locked away in a tower and unaware of her lover's identity. Eleanor finally discovers the girl's whereabouts and (spoiler alert) stabs her to death. This abrupt ending might explain why it did not fully satisfy early audiences, and perhaps accounts for the tepid applause here. But this is one of the few stumbles in this performance that allows the piece's virtues to shine. Jessica Pratt delivers a creamy soprano in the title role (although Fleming remains unsurpassed), while Eva Mei is a powerful Lenora, and Dario Schmunck as King Enrico sometimes sounds hard-pressed but is adequate. The sets are minimal and the costumes are almost entirely black (except for those of Rosmonda and Enrico), but Paola Rota's simple staging is elegant, and Sebastiano Rolli conducts the orchestra with style. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this revival of a Donizetti rarity is recommended. (F. Swietek)