Mercadante: Il Proscritto (complete opera)
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GIUSEPPE SAVERIO MERCADANTE
Mercadante: Il Proscritto (complete opera)
Ramón Vargas, Irene Roberts, Elizabeth DeShong, Sally Matthews / Britten Sinfonia, Carlo Rizzi
[ Opera Rara / 2 CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Friday 14 April 2023
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Set in Edinburgh against the backdrop of Oliver Cromwell's rule, Il proscritto saw a marked return to melody by Mercadante who retained the orchestral richness of his "reform" operas but restored aspects of bel canto lyricism.
With Ramón Vargas, Iván Ayón-Rivas, Irene Roberts, Elizabeth DeShong, Sally Matthews, Goderdzi Janelidze, Susana Gaspar, Carlo Rizzi (conductor) and Britten Sinfonia.
"Mercadante cocks an intelligent ear in the direction of a young Verdi. However, Mercadante is no faithful follower of fashion, as Carlo Rizzi, who rediscovered the opera in the Naples Conservatory archives, demonstrates in a vivid performance...Mercadante wrote for a stellar cast, and Opera Rara field fine singers too" BBC Music Opera Choice July23
"This recording's selling point is a performance that feels urgent and viscerally exciting - indeed thoroughly Italianate.
The key performer is conductor Carlo Rizzi, who heats up the drama, and probably the fine Britten Sinfonia, to boiling point. Ramón Vargas brings Latin flair to the role of the tongue-tied husband, Giorgio Argyll.,,Throw in some innovative finales to each act and Il proscritto deserves its rediscovery." Financial Times
"Rizzi by and large makes a strong case for it, conducting with care and considerable verve throughout, and, with the Britten Sinfonia on fine form, places due emphasis on Mercadante's striking orchestration." Gramophone
"[Rizzi] conducts with pace and conviction...It all ends with a poignant yet compact death scene for Malvina, an unusually complex heroine beautifully sung here by Irene Roberts, her mellow mezzo-soprano drawing in the ear. If the structure feels a bit unbalanced, it still works." The Guardian
