Tancredi

First performed in Venice in 1813, Tancredi was Gioacchino Rossini's first great international success, predating The Barber of Seville by three years, and still so famous in 1868 that Wagner could quote it (though with ridicule) in Die Meistersinger von N(rnberg knowing that his audience would appreciate the reference. An opera seria set in 11th-century Sicily as the island is threatened by Saracens, Tancredi revolves around the lovers Princess Amenaide and the exiled Tancredi, who saves Amenaide from a charge of treason by serving as her champion before leading the Sicilians to victory. In the original Venice version the work ended on that note, but for a revival in Ferrara the composer reverted to the original tale's tragic close, with Tancredi suffering a fatal wound in battle—a change the public disliked, leading to a reinstatement of the former finale. The present performance, dating from a 1992 Schwetzinger Festival staging, uses the recently-recovered Ferrara ending, and though not ideal, it's certainly good enough to give a fair impression of the work. The Stuttgart Radio Symphony isn't a virtuoso ensemble, nor is Gianluigi Gelmetti the most sensitive of conductors, but their collaborative effort is, if not especially refined, at least vigorous. Contralto Bernadette Manca di Nissa, in the trousers role of Tancredi, exhibits strong coloratura, as does tenor Raul Gimenez as the Sicilian king, while Maria Bayo, as Amenaide, is a trifle uninspired in the first act but redeems herself in the second. There are no extras per se, but as a bonus after curtain calls, the cast and orchestra perform the Venetian happy ending, which the audience here seems to prefer, much as they did in the 19th-century. Since Tancredi remains a relative rarity unlikely to appear on DVD very often, this respectable reading, presented in decent PCM stereo, is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)