Kiel. (International).

Every opera-lover knows Franco Alfano--even though hardly anyone could name the title of any of his works, let alone hum one of his melodies. Alfano is remembered almost exclusively for completing Puccini's Turandot after the composer's death in 1924. And since Alfano's ending is musically less substantial than the rest of that opera (though it's based on Puccini's sketches), he is dismissed by many as a hack--unjustly, as the rediscovery of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at Kiel Opera proved (seen May 16).

Based on Edmond Rostand's famous play, with a French libretto written by Henri Cain, Cyrano was given its world premiere in Rome, in 1936. It was last seen in Germany in 1942; in 1954, it scored a triumph at La Scala. Since then, the opera is believed to have been staged only once more anywhere in the world--in Rome, in 1955, with Ramon Vinay in the title role. Though it's rumored to be a favorite of Placido Domingo, so far Cyrano has never been performed in the U.S. Listening to this gorgeous, richly nuanced score, one wonders why the piece never made it into the standard repertoire. On the surface, most of the music seems pure, passionate verismo; the influence of Puccini is obvious, but Cyrano also resembles the work of Zandonai and Cilia, particularly in its striking theatrical impact. At a closer look, however, Cyrano is very much a French opera, with beautifully shaped, tender, soaring, transparent phrases, close to Debussy's Impressionism. And there are moments where a phrase recalls Ravel--or Richard Strauss. However, this amalgamation of styles never sounds eclectic or ...