Rossini: La Pietra del paragone (complete opera)
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GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: La Pietra del paragone (complete opera)
Agata Bienkowska (mezzo) / Alessandro Codeluppi (tenor) / Raffaele Constantini (bass) / Anna Rita Gemmabella (sop) / Anke Herrmann (sop)
[ Naxos Opera Classics / 3 CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Wednesday 2 June 2004
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No other opera of Rossini has been so highly praised in the literature of the subject and yet so seldom performed as La pietra del paragone.
In common with many other misunderstandings about the composer, this goes back to Stendhal, who described it as Rossini's greatest work in the genre of opera buffa. This judgement by the French writer is unfortunately not reflected in the performance schedules of opera houses.
La pietra del paragone was the first stage work that Rossini wrote for La Scala, Milan. Here the young composer abandoned for the first time the narrow geographical area of Bologna-Ferrara-Venice, in which his life had up to then been spent. According to general opinion he was helped in this Milan engagement by the singer Marietta Marcolini, who had already appeared in two Rossini premières, L'equivoco stravagante and Ciro in Babilonia.
"Polish mezzo Agata Bienkowska...here evinces a rich-toned flexible voice of considerable promise ..The conductor, Alessandro de Marchi, is well known in early music circles. He brings clear articulation to the ensembles." MusicWeb
Note: This is a 'live' recording
