Rossini, Gioachino - Le Siège de Corinthe

Album

Rossini, Gioachino
Le Siège de Corinthe

Release on June 2013
Virtuosi Brunensis (Orchestra)
Tingaud, Jean-Luc (Conductor)

Rossini adapted his own Italian opera of 1820, Maometto, for the Parisian stage under the title of Le Siège de Corinthe. As Rossini’s original work had already absorbed distinctive French characteristics such as heroic arias, and characterisation through orchestral colour, the newly composed music for the reworking makes for a powerful and compelling operatic tour de force. With its historical subject matter and tragic ending, Le Siège de Corinthe anticipates the advent of grand opera.

Recordings

press

Reviews

Thankfully, the so-called Pesaro of the north, the Bad Wildbad Festival, continues to perform Rossini’s operas with excellent conductors and singers with the resultant CDs being issued at bargain price on the Naxos label. The added virtue of this particular issue, from the twenty second Festival in 2010, is that its well sung and conducted performance fills in a gap in the lexicon of recordings of the works that Rossini composed or rewrote for Paris.

Robert Farr

MusicWeb International, December 2013

Michael Spyres gives a superb performance as Greek officer Néoclès, his ringing tenor sounding fresh and heroic, his Act III high Ds impressively sung. One can sense that Spyres has the role’s technical requirements well in hand, which makes his performance all the more enjoyable. Tenor Marc Sala is consistently strong in the role of Cléomène…As the Turk invader Mahomet II, bass Lorenzo Regazzo is a commanding presence with vocal heft and power, as well as surprising agility in coloratura passages. The Camerata Bach Choir, Poznań, provides solid support to the soloists…the orchestra, Virtuosi Brunensis, plays brilliantly, with expert precision and ensemble, throughout the performance. Conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud brings great style and dramatic pacing to the proceedings; the finales are particularly exciting and bristling with energy. Naxos’s recording quality is excellent—particularly for a live recording—with both instruments and voices captured with clarity and detail.

Derek Greten-Harrison

Opera News, December 2013

As with any Rossini opera, Siege requires singers with wide ranges and exceptional flexibility to deal with the highly ornamented bel canto style of the composer. For the most part, this cast manages. Both chorus and orchestra are first-rate, with some winds and strings articulating the florid music as well as the singers. The conductor obviously contributes to this excellence.

Richard Sininger

American Record Guide, November 2013

This Naxos bargain edition seems to be a clear first choice. I am…impressed not only by Matthieu Lécroart’s native diction but also by the noble, mellifluous beauty of his bass whenever Hiéros…sings. The two tenors, Marc Sala and rising star Michael Spyres…have voices very similar in timbre, neat and accomplished with fast vibratos and the range to encompass Rossini’s excessive demands. The sound is excellent, the ensemble crisp and energised and the singing generally first rate…The famous Act 1 Trio is superb, one of Rossini’s most melodic inspirations. The Third Act Trio, here performed in its shorter version, is another exquisitely sung highlight.

Ralph Moore MusicWeb International, September 2013

Rossini’s scores demand high-powered vocalism, and in this respect the performance maintains impressive standards. Majella Cullagh’s Pamyra meets all coloratura challenges with assurance and is firm and expressive throughout.

George Hall

BBC Music Magazine, September 2013

Spyres is up to the demands of the role in this performance…singing with vocal flexibility and appealing tone. I look forward to hearing more from him, not least in this repertoire. In the second tenor role of Pamyra’s father, Cléomène, Bad Wildbad has another high-flying tenor able to handle the demanding tessitura in its cast. He steps forward in the person of Spaniard Marc Salsa; new to me. [Majella Cullagh’s] strong characterisation allied to vocal flexibility is well in evidence in this performance. Her voice has slightly more edge than in some of her earlier recordings, of Donizetti as well as Rossini, but remains a formidable instrument. She handles the demanding coloratura with aplomb (CD1.Tr.7). The chorus are well up to Rossini’s extended demands whilst on the rostrum, Jean-Luc Tingaud is fully at home in the idiom. …this audio recording…do Rossini’s creation full justice. It also allows enthusiasts to appreciate his first venture into the French style of composition which was to last all too briefly.

Robert J Farr

MusicWeb International, July 2013

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