Donizetti: Maria Stuarda. (Video).(Opera Review)

[] Remigio, Ganassi, Rizzone; Calleja, Giossi, Zanellato; Fondazione Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo, Coro del Circuito Lirico Regionale Lombardo, Carminati, 2001. Dynamic DVD 33407N (Qualiton, dist.), 153 mins., subtitled

Dynamic, an Italian label that has been so active in bringing us CDs of performances of rare operas, makes its DVD debut with Maria Stuarda, in a new critical edition by Anders Wiklund, which opens a few traditional cuts. This work has been a vehicle for great sopranos of the bel canto revival--Leyla Gencer, Montserrat Caballe Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills and, more recently, Edita Gruberova. On records and in the opera house, Maria's rival, Elisabetta, has been sung by powerhouse sopranos and mezzos along the lines of Eileen Farrell, Pauline Tinsley and Bianca Berini. The contrasting qualities of the two ladies--in the opera, Maria can be played as a saint with a past, Elisabetta as a merciless monarch ruled by jealousy--are often pointed up in productions and recordings in order to exploit the dramatic and vocal differences of the artists. In this production from Bergamo, however, the two ladies are portrayed more as two sides of the same coin, with the advantage that the love triangle stressed by Donizetti and his librettist, Giuseppe Bardini, gains credibility; the disadvantage is that, despite Maria's dubious past and her one outburst of temper, she needs to be contrasted greatly to Elisabetta, as much of her music reflects a gentler spirit.

Sonia Ganassi is a young, attractive Elisabetta, with a somewhat remarkable resemblance to Bernadette Peters--not what one expects to see as Queen Elizabeth I. At first, the mezzo seems underpowered, but as the performance progresses, she picks up steam, and in the long run she turns in a strong vocal and ...