Donizetti: Linda di Chamounix.(Video Recording Review)

[] Gruberova, Mamsirova, Kallisch, Asher; van der Walt, Will, Polgar, Ariostini, Christoff; Orch. & Ch. of the Zurich Opera House, Fischer. TDK DVD DVUS-OPLDC (Naxos, dist.), 164 mins.

Even Rigoletro does not make so much fuss over its heroine's virginity as Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. The title character's innocence is insisted on over and over--by the snowy surroundings of her mountain village, by her light and flowery vocal style, and by the constant sexual threats that encircle her. In Act I, she is sent to Paris to escape the designs of the local feudal lord; when the curtain rises on Act II, she has to all appearances been set up as a courtesan by a different man. We are assured that this relationship is pure, and Linda's reputation is ultimately restored, yet the overall impact of these scenes is a bit like witnessing a public deflowering.

Daniel Schmid's 1996 production for Zurich Opera makes modern sense out of this genteel form of pornography, by fleshing out the sense of danger in scenes that Donizetti originally rendered in strangely carefree, almost slapstick tones. Stunning sets by Erich Wonder emphasize the artificial, picture-postcard nature of the peasant life and mountain setting, effectively juxtaposed with the equally false surfaces of Parisian wealth in Act II. Scenes featuring the predatory Marchese de Boisfleury (Jacob Will), usually glossed over by performers perplexed about how to reconcile the Marchese's old-fashioned comic style with his ...