Verdi: Les Vepres Siciliennes.(Opera Review)

VERDI: Les Vepres Siciliennes

Brumaire; Bonhomme, Taylor; Baran; BBC Chorus and Concert Orchestra, Rossi. Text and translation. Opera Rata V303 (3)

With this highly, recommendable Vepres Sicilennes, solidly led by, Mario Rossi, Opera Rara continues its welcome "Verdi Originals," a project that transfers to CD in excellent sound pioneering BBC studio performances of Verdi's early (and/or originallanguage) versions of familiar works. This issue of Verdi's first French grand opera was perhaps most urgently needed of the CD transfers, since there is still no rival in the catalogue. The present set confirms that Vepres is a greater opera than Vespri. The Scribe/Duveyrier libretto, if no masterpiece, is considerably superior to its commonly used Italian translation; for one thing, Helene's lover and friends can refer to her and address her by name and not as "O donna" or "costei"! One notes also the greater lightness in texture at concerted passages such as "Adieu, mon pays," a quartet that in four minutes demonstrates the melodic and emotional sublimity of Verdi.

Once again, Opera Rara has found space in its enormous booklet for essays and photos of the opera's early exponents but not a word about the participants in the performance at hand (recorded May, 10, 1969). This is an acutely frustrating omission, as none of ...