OPERA ON LOCAL RADIO

The Gramophone Room

fm Radio 88.1 Feilding and Palmerston North, NZ
fm Radio 106.7 and 107.3 Palmerston North, NZ
Owned and operated by John Ward
contact@gramophoneroom.co.nz
For the story of this two-channel radio station go to
http://www.radioheritage.net/Story224.asp

Opera summaries (delivered nightly on air by John Ward) are provided by Daphne Kyne (samples down below at the end).

Opera Broadcasts
RADIO PERFECT PITCH
Monday to Saturday nights
88.1 fm and 107.3 fm in Palmerston North

In  2013 the 7th 52-week cycle began on the 28th of October.

Some unlisted operas may be introduced into the program on particular nights, but the standard pattern is set out below as a general guide.

At times there will be intermission weeks in which other new recordings of operas will receive an airing. 

If the title of an opera (or any other item) is coloured, click on it for information. 
In  2019 a new sequence began (Week 50 became Week One)

Week 1 (22/7/2019))
M] OBERTO (Verdi 1)
T ] ZORAIDA DI GRANATA Opera Rara 17
W] CYRUS IN BABYLON (Rossini)
T ] MOZART AND SALIERI (Rimsky-Korsakov)
F ] DON PASQUALE (Donizetti) English
S ] ERMIONE (Rossini)
 
Week 1 (October)
M] I Lombardi (Verdi 4)
T ] Bianca e Faliero (Rossini) (OR 20)
W] Sapho (Gounod)
T ] Maria di Rohan (Donizetti)
F ] Don Giovanni (Mozart) E
S ] Semiramide (Rossini)

Week 2 (17/10/11)
M] Ernani (Verdi 5)
T ] Carlo di Borgogna (Pacini) OR 21
W] Manon Lescaut (Auber)
T ] Roméo et Juliette (Gounod)
F ] Mikado, Iolanthe (G & S)
S ] Elena da Feltre (Mercadante)


Week 3 (24/10/11)
M] I Due Foscari (Verdi 6)
T ] Elisabetta Regina (Rossini) OR22
W] The Sleeping Draught (Weyse)
      König Oedipus (Lachner)
T ] Mignon (Thomas)
F ] Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach)
S ] L'Italiana in Algeri (Rossini)

Week 4 (31/10/11)
M] Giovanna d'Arco (Verdi 7)
      Il Campanello (Donizetti)
T ] Ginevra di Scozia (Mayr) OR23
W] Le Toréador (Adam)
      Zaira (Mercadante)
T ] Silvana (Weber)
F ] Rosina (Shield) Pinafore (G&S)
S ] Medea (Cherubini)

Week 5 (7 November)
M] Alzira (Verdi 8)
T ] Roberto Devereux (Donizetti) OR 24
W] The Three Wishes (Loewe) 
T ] La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
F ] The Magic Flute (Mozart) 
S ] Socrate Immaginario (Paisiello) 

Week 6 (14 November)
M] Attila (Verdi 9) 
T ] Margherita d'Anjou (Meyerbeer) OR 25
W] Roland (Piccinni)
T ] Torvaldo e Dorliska (Rossini)
F ] Mary Stuart (Donizetti)
S ] Ascanio in Alba (Mozart)


Week 7 (November)
M] Macbeth (Verdi 8)
T ] Emma d'Antiochia (Mercadante) OR 26
W] Lo Sposo di Tre (Cherubini) 
T ] Alessandro nell'Indie (Pacini)  OR 35
F ] Elixir of Love (Donizetti) 
S ] Semiramide (Meyerbeer) 


Week 8 (28 November)
M] I Masnadieri (Verdi 11) 
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco 1813-1901 b.Busseto
‘I Masnadieri’ The Bandits in four acts. Libretto / Count Andrea Maffei after the play Die Räuber by Friedrich Schiller.
1st performed in Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, 1847.
Cast: Carlo Colombara, Mario Malagnini, Renato Bruson, Martile Rowland, Thierry Migliorini, Mikhail Lanskoi.
Suddeutscher Madrigalchor Stuttgart. / Orchester der Ludwigsburger Festspiele / Wolfgang Gonnenwein.
Bayer Records BR 500 001 / 2 CD 1. 75’ 46’’ CD 2. 50’ 20’’ p 1994.
Masnadieri was Verdi’s eleventh opera and was commissioned for performance in London. However it was not very well received at the time, although it contains much fine music.
Carlo, the Count’s son, loves Amelia, but is banned from home and becomes a bandit. A false rumour is spread by Carlo’s brother, Francesco, that Carlo is dead, and Francesco must now marry Amelia in his place. However, Amelia does not like this idea, and escapes from Francesco, finds the supposedly dead Carlo and is captured by his gang of bandits. But Carlo, unable to overcome his despair and guilt for his crimes, stabs Amelia dead !! and surrenders to the law. Daphne Kyne . 


Tu] Zelmira (Rossini) OR 27

W] Crispino e la Comare (Ricci)
Ricci Federico 1809 - 1877. b.Naples in collaboration with his brother Luigi, Ricci Luigi 1805 - 1859 b.Naples
‘Crispino e La Comare’ Crispin & The Fairy Godmother Melodramma giocoso in three acts.
Libretto / Francesco Maria Piave. 1st performed in Venice 1850.
Cast:- Roberto Coviello Baritone, Crispino, Daniela Lojarro Soprano,Annetta, Simone Alaimo Basso, Fabrizio, Antonio Marani, Baritono, Mirabolano, Enrico Cossutta Tenore, Contino, Riccardo Ristori Basso, Don Asdrubale, Daniela Benori Soprano, Lisetta, Serena Lazzarini Mezzosoprano, La Comare, Marcello Siclari Baritono, Bortolo.
Coro ‘Francesco Cilea’ di Reggio Calabria / Orchestra Sinfonica di San Remo / Paolo Carignani.
Bongiovanni GB 2095 / 96-2 Duration CD 1. 67’ 56’’ CD 2. 60’ 01’’ p. 1989.
Luigi Ricci often collaborated with his brother, Federico, as in this comic opera, although it is little known today.
The plot is set in Venice, and is a satire on the medical profession. A poor cobbler is saved from suicide by his fairy godmother who turns him into a fashionable doctor. He becomes rich, conceited and unbearable, so she gives him a glimpse of hell, then turns him back into a humble cobbler where he is happier.
An Aside: Luigi loved twin sisters and married one, still keeping up with the other ! Nine years after ‘Crispino e La Compare’ was staged, Luigi Ricci became insane and died in a mental hospital in Prague. !  Daphne Kyne 

Th] Bianca e Fernando (Bellini)
Bellini Vincenzo 1801-1835 b. Catania Sicily
‘Bianca e Fernando’, Melodrama semiserio in two acts.
Libretto / Domenico Gilardoni with the revisions by Felice Romani.
Cast: Yasuko Hayashi Bianca, Antonio Savastano Fernando, Mario Machi Carlo,
Enrico Fissore Filippo, Eftimios Michalopoulos Clemente, Pietro Tarantino Viscardo, Ignazio Del Monaco Uggero, Gabriella Onesti Eloisa.
Chorus and Orchestra of the E.A.R. Turin / Gabriele Ferro.
Allegro Opera D’Oro OPD 1419-2 Duration CD 1. 60’ 16’’ CD 2. 73’ 70’’ p 1976.

Bianca e Fernando Originally written as Bianca e Gernando & planned for a premiere in January 1826 in honour of the birthday of the Duke of Calabria the future King Ferdinand II. Deaths and illnesses in the royal family delayed the event. The hero of the play was indeed named Fernando, but out of respect for royal sensitivities this was altered to Gernando. The opera was given respectable reviews for it’s first performance in San Carlo, Naples 1826. Bellini later revised the opera extensively for a commissioned performance in the Carlo Fenice Theatre, Genoa on the 7th of April 1828, achieving modest success, Bianca e Fernando is the version most heard today. This was one a group of operas through which Bellini transformed the face of Italian Opera.
The Duke of Agrigento is imprisoned by Filippo who takes his place, saying the Duke is dead, & plans to marry his daughter, Bianca. The Duke’s son, Bianca’s brother, returns, and they go to the Duke’s dungeon and release him, so he can rightfully reclaim his position, & the evil Filippo gets his just deserts !! Daphne Kyne .
 
F ] Don Pasquale (Donizetti)
Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria 1797-1848 b. Bergamo.
‘Don Pasquale’, Drama buffo in three acts. Libretto / Giovanni Ruffini and Gaetano Donizetti after A Anelli.
Cast:- Andrew Shore Baritone, Jason Howard Baritone, Barry Banks Tenor, Lynne Dawson Soprano, Clive Bayley Bass.
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry.
Chandos 3011 Duration CD 1. 54’ 49’’ CD 2. 72’ 13’’ p 1998.
Don Pasquale 1st performed in Paris 1843. A brilliant overture leads to a splendid comic opera with touches of pathos which for many people represents Donizetti’s finest achievement. Pasquale wants a bride and Dr. Malatesta recommends his cousin Norina, pretending she’s his sister. Pasquale’s nephew, Ernesto, refuses to marry the girl his uncle has chosen. A lot of comic confusion and misunderstandings occur, and the opera is a masterpiece of comedy and tuneful music. Ernesto finally marries Norina with Pasquale’s blessing. Daphne Kyne 

S ] Mitridate (Mozart)
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus 1756-1791 b.Salzburg
‘Mitridate, re di Ponto’, in three acts, KV 87 / 74a. Libretto / Vittorio Amedeo
Cigna-Santi. from the Tragedy of Jean Racine.
Cast:- Marcel Reijans Tenor, Francine van der Heyden Soprano, Marije van Stralen Soprano, Johannette Zomer Soprano, Cecile van de Sant Mezzo-Soprano, Young-Hee Kim Soprano, Alexei Grigoev Tenor. Erwin Wieringa Solo Horn / Michael Borgstede Harpsichord / Musica Ad Rhenum /Jed Wentz
Brilliant Classics 92114-7 / 8 / 9. Set No. 4 Duration D 1 54’ 21’’ D 2 61’ 09’’ D 3 64’ 37’’ p 2001.
Mitridate, King of Pontus’ K 87 1st performed in the Regio Ducal Theatre, Milan 1770, Mozart was aged 14 years. King Mitridate is to marry Aspasia, but both his sons also love her, & she loves the younger one. In a tale of warfare, misunderstandings & treachery, the king finally sends poison to Aspasia, & he is fatally wounded in battle. Aspasia is saved from drinking the poison & is able, finally, to marry the king’s younger son.
An Aside: The first performance lasted six hours, including several ballets by other composers, & Milan was treated to 22 performances. There is some delicious lyrical music, notably an aria with horn obligato.
Daphne Kyne 

Week 9 (5 December)
M] Il Corsaro (Verdi 12)  -->

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco born Busseto  Parma1813-1901

 ‘Il Corsaro’ The Pirate                
Libretto / Francesco Maria Piave.

1st performed in Trieste, in 1848.  

This is a light-weight opera compared to most other Verdi works but contains some finely crafted and imaginative musical scoring.  The opera is set on a Greek island.  Corrado, the pirate leader, attacks the Turks and sets fire to their ships.  He is captured and the Turkish Pasha’s daughter pleads for his life.  They eventually escape and return to the island, where Corrado’s lover, Medora, has taken poison, thinking he was dead.  In despair, Corrado throws himself off a cliff !

                                                                                                                            Daphne Kyne.

Jose Carreras Tenor Corrado captain of the pirates,

Jessye Norman Soprano Medora Corrado’s young lover,

Montserrat Caballe Soprano Gulnara Seid’s favourite slave in the harem,

Gian-Piero Mastromei Tenor Selimo Aga, official of the Pasha,

John Noble Baritone Seid Pasha of Coron,

Clifford Grant Bass Giovanni a pirate, 
Alexander Oliver Tenor 1.Eunuco a black eunuch, 2.Schiavo a slave, 

       Ambrosian Singers / New Philharmonia Orchestra / Lamberto Gardelli.

Philips  Set 475 6769          Duration  CD 1.  52’ 20’’   CD 2.  42’ 01’’  p 1976.

T ] Francesca di Foix (Donizetti) OR 28
W] Marina (Arrieta)
T ] La Finta Giardiniera (Mozart)
F ] Ivanhoe (Sullivan)
S ] Seraglio (Mozart)

Week 10 (12 December)
M] La Battaglia di Legnano (Verdi 13)
T ] Elvida (Donizetti) OR 29
W] Marino Faliero (Donizetti)
T ] Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Paisiello)
F ] Barber of Seville (Rossini)
S ] Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti)


Week 11 (19 December)
M] Luisa Miller (Verdi 14)
T ] Pia di Tolomei (Donizetti) OR30
W] Wedding of Comacho (Mendelssohn)
      I Normanni a Parigi (Mercadante)
T ] Norma (Bellini)
F ] Flying Dutchman (Wagner)
S ] Anna Bolena (Donizetti)

Week 12 (26/12/11)
M] Stiffelio (Verdi 15)
T ] Il diluvio universale (Donizetti) OR 31
W] Le Domino Noir (Auber)
T ] Il Giuramento (Mercadante)
F ] Tosca (Puccini) E
S ] Nerone (Boito)

Week 13 (2/1/12)
M] Rigoletto (Verdi 16)  
T ] Adelaide di Borgogna (Rossini) OR 32
W] Aureliano in Palmira (Rossini)
T ] Proserpine (Paisiello)
F ] Fidelio (Beethoven) E
S ] Thamos (Mozart) Zaide (Mozart)


Week 14 (9/1/12)
M] Il Trovatore (Verdi 17)
T ] Dom Sebastien (Donizetti) OR 33
W] Hamlet (Thomas)
T ] Lo Sposo Burlato (Paisiello)
      Il Signor Bruschino (Rossini)
F ] The Bartered Bride (Smetana) E
S ] Matilde di Shabran (Rossini)

Week 15 (16/1/12)
M] La Traviata (Verdi 18)
T ] La Donna del Lago (Rossini) OR 34
W] Oedipe à Colone (Sacchini)
      L'Inganno Felice (Rossini)
T ] L'Ultimo Giorno di Pompei (Pacini)
F ] Faust (Gounod) E
S ] Moses in Egypt (Rossini)

Week 16 (23/1/12)
M] I Vespri Siciliani (Verdi 19)
T ] Alessandro nell'Indie (Pacini) OR 35
W] Vespri Siciliani (Verdi) revised
T ] Lucio Silla (Mozart)
F ] Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) E
S ] La Vestale (Spontini)

Week 17 (30/1/12)
M] Simon Boccanegra (Verdi 20)
T ] Imelda (Donizetti)
W] Rosa Bianca e la Rosa Rossa (Mayr)
T ] Beatrice di Tenda (Bellini)
F ] Bohemeian Girl (Balfe) English
S ] Cosi fan tutte (Mozart)

Week 18 (6/2/12)
M] Gustave III (Verdi 21)
T ] La Cour de Celimene (Thomas)
      Mathilde von Guise (Hummel)
W] Mireille (Gounod)
T ] Tancredi (Rossini)
F ] Maid of Artois (Balfe) E
S ] Siege of Corinth (Rossini)

Week 19 (13/2/12)
M] La Forza del Destino (Verdi 22)
T ] La Straniera (Bellini) (OR 38)
W] Der Onkel aus Boston (Mendelssohn)
T ] Olympia (Spontini)
F ] The Bartered Bride (Smetana) English
S ] Caritea Regina di Spagna (Mercadante)

Week 20 (20/2/12)
M] Don Carlo (Verdi 23)
T ] Virginia (Mercadante) (OR 39)
W] Che Originali! (Mayr)
T ] Caterina Cornaro (Donizetti)
F ] Werther (Massenet) English
S ] Verta (?) (Mayr)

Week 21 (27/2/12)
M] Aida (Verdi 24)
T ] Parisina d'Este (Donizetti) (OR 40)
W] La Daunia Felice (Paisiello)
T ] Gemma di Vergy (Donizetti)
F ] Lehar Highlights (Widow-Smiles)
S ] Merlin (Goldmark)

Week 22 (5/3/12)
M] Otello (Verdi 25)
T ] Ermione (Rossini) (OR 41)
W] Agnese di Hohenstaufen (Spontini)
T ] La Favorita (Donizetti)
F ] Rosina (Shield) Alfred (Arne) English
S ] Maometto Secondo (Rossini)

Week 23 (12/3/12)
M] Falstaff (Verdi 26)
T ] Falstaff (Salieri)
W] Falstaff (Balfe)
T ] Ginevra di Scozia (Mayr)
F ] Robinson Crusoe (Offenbach) English
S ] Olivo e Pasquale (Donizetti)

Week 24 (19/3/12)
M] Caritea (Mercadante 1)
T ] Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti)
W] Don Chisciotte (Paisiello)
T ] Adelaide di Borgogna (Rossini) (OR 32)
F ] Artaxerxes (Arne) English
S ] Der Freischütz (Weber)

Week 25 (26/3/12)
M] Emma di Antioch (Mercadante 2) (OR 26)
T ] Maria di Rohan (Donizetti) (OR 44)
W] Sapho (Gounod) 
T ] Saffo (Pacini)
F ] Idomeneo (Mozart) English
S ] Don Pasquale (Donizetti)
      Il Maestro di Cappella(Cimarosa)

Week 26 (2/4/12)
M] Il Giuramente (Mercadante 3)
T ] Gustavo III (Verdi) (Masked Ball)
W] Gustave III (Auber) (Le bal masqué)
T ] Holger Danske (Kunzen)
F ] Oberon (Weber) English 
S ] Roberto Devereux (Donizetti)

Week 27 (9/4/12)
M] Il Bravo (Mercadante 4)
T ] Euryanthe (Weber)
W] Il Divertimento dei Numi (Paisiello) La Frascatana
T ] La Cenerentola (Rossini)
F ] Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
S ] La Fille du Régiment (Donizetti)

Week 28 (16/412)
M] Elena da Feltre (Mercadante 5) 
T ] Zaira (Mercadante) Soliman II (Kraus)
W] Zaira (Bellini) 
T ] Zaide (Mozart)
F ] Abduction from Seraglio (Mozart)
S ] Bianca e Falliero (Rossini)

Week 29  (23/4)
M] LA VESTALE (Mercadante 6) 
      DESERT ISLAND (Haydn)
T ] MARIA PADILLA (Donizetti) 
W] MEDEA IN CORINTO (Mayr)
T ] MEDEA (Cherubini)
F ] MAGIC FLUTE (Mozart) English
S ] JOURNEY TO RHEIMS (Rossini)

Week 30  (30/4)
M] Il Reggente (Mercadante 7)
T ] Elena e Costantino (Carnicer)
W] Le Cheval de Bronze (Auber)
T ] Le Comte Ory (Rossini)
F ] Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) English
S ] Lo Sposo Deluso, L'Oca del Cairo,
    Apollo et Hyacinthus (Mozart)

Week 31  (9/5)
M] Orazi e Curiazi (Mercadante 8)
T ] La Vestale (Spontini)
W] Equivoco Stravagante (Rossini)
T ] Il Turco in Italia (Rossini)
F ] Nabucco (Verdi) English
S ] La Testa di Bronze (Soliva) 



Week 32 (16/5)
M] Virginia (Mercadante)
T ] La Dame Blanche (Boieldieu)
W] Giulia e Sesto Pompeii (Soliva)
T ] Entre-nous (Offenbach excerpts)
F ] Fidelio (Beethoven) English
S ] L'Amour Conjugale (Mayr)
     Love and Jealousy (E.T.A. Hoffmann)

Week 33 (23/5)
M] Pelagio; Normanni a Parigi (Mercadante)
T ] Semiramide (Meyerbeer)
W] Semiramide (Rossini)
T ] Demetrio e Polibio (Rossini)
F ] Thieving Magpie (Rossini) English
S ] La Muette de Portici (Auber)

Week 34 (30/5)
M] Adelson e Salvini (Bellini 1)
T ] Ugo, Conte di Parigi (Donizetti) OR 1
W] Aurora (E.T.A. Hoffmann)
T ] Die Drei Pintos (Weber)
     Esule di Granata (Meyerbeer)
F ] Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach)
S ] Marta (Flotow)

Week 35 (6/6)
M] Il Pirata (Bellini 2)
T ] Christopher Columbus (Offenbach) OR 2
W] Athalia (Mendelssohn)
T ] La Campiace di Matrimonia (Rossini)
      La Scala di Seta (Rossini)
F ] Carmen (Bizet) English
S ] Linda di Chamonix (Donizetti)

Week 49  (12/9/11)
M] ANNA BOLENA (Donizetti)
T ] MARIA DI RUDENZ (Donizetti) OR 16
W] PITTOR PARIGINO (Cimarosa)
T ] GUSTAVO III (Verdi)
F ] MASKED BALL (Verdi) English
S ] TANCREDI (Rossini)

Week 50 (19/9/11)
M] OBERTO (Verdi 1)
T ] ZORAIDA DI GRANATA OR 17
W] CYRUS IN BABYLON (Rossini)
T ] MOZART AND SALIERI (Rimsky-K)
F ] DON PASQUALE (Donizetti) English
S ] ERMIONE (Rossini)

Week 51 (26/9/11)
M] GIORNO DI REGNO (Verdi 2)
T ] OTELLO (Rossini) OR 18
W] DIE FEEN (Fairies) (Wagner)
T ] IDOMENEO (Mozart)
F ] COSI FAN TUTTE (Mozart) English
S ] TURCO IN ITALIA (Rossini)

Week 52 (3/10/11)
M] NABUCCO (Verdi 3)
T ] ROMANZESCA (OR 19)
     ADINA (Rossini)
W] ALESSANDRO STRADELLA (Flotow)
       MAESTRO DI CAPELLA (Cimarosa)
T ] LEONORE (Beethoven)
F ] MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Mozart) E
S ] STRATONICE (Mehul) (Mayr exceprts)


Week 8 (November)
Monday 
On Mondays we are going through all the Verdi operas in chronological order.
Tonight we present No.11 in the series.
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco 1813-1901 b.Busseto
‘I Masnadieri’ The Bandits in four acts. Libretto / Count Andrea Maffei after the play Die Rauber by von Friedrich Schiller.
1st performed in Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, 1847.
Cast: Carlo Colombara, Mario Malagnini, Renato Bruson, Martile Rowland, Thierry Migliorini, Mikhail Lanskoi.
Suddeutscher Madrigalchor Stuttgart. / Orchester der Ludwigsburger Festspiele / Wolfgang Gonnenwein.
Bayer Records BR 500 001 / 2 CD 1. 75’ 46’’ CD 2. 50’ 20’’ p 1994.
Masnadieri was Verdi’s eleventh opera and was commissioned for performance in London. However it was not very well received at the time, although it contains much fine music.
Carlo, the Count’s son, loves Amelia, but is banned from home and becomes a bandit. A false rumour is spread by Carlo’s brother, Francesco, that Carlo is dead, and Francesco must now marry Amelia in his place. However, Amelia does not like this idea, and escapes from Francesco, finds the supposedly dead Carlo and is captured by his gang of bandits. But Carlo, unable to overcome his despair and guilt for his crimes, stabs Amelia dead !! and surrenders to the law Daphne Kyne .

Tuesday  Tuesdays we are playing the complete set of Opera Rara records . Tonight we have ORC 10 in the series.
Meyerbeer Jacob Liebmann Beer 1791-1864 b.Berlin d. Paris
His real name being Jacob Liebmann Beer. Nicknamed Giacomo.
Opera ‘Il Crociato in Egitto’ ( The Crusader in Egypt )Heroic Melodrama in Two Acts. Libretto Gaetano Rossi. 1st performed in Venice 1824.
Cast:- Ian Platt, Bruce ford, Diana Montague, Yvonne Kenny, Della Jones, Linda Kitchen, Ugo Benelli.
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry.
Opera Rara ORC 10 CD 1. 66’ 24’’ CD 2. 75’ 38’’ CD 3. 70’ 44’’. CD 4. 71’ 13’’ p 1992.
The opera is on a grand scale, and uses a very large orchestra, plus two stage bands of contrasting instruments. It was successful through Europe, and Meyerbeer revised the work for each new production.
The hero is Armando, the only surviving Knight of Rhodes after an attack on Egypt by the crusaders. He marries the King of Egypt’s daughter and they have a young son. A peace mission arrives from Rhodes, and Armando, his wife and son are imprisoned. However the peace delegation defend the Egyptian King when he is attacked, so he frees Armando and his family. Daphne Kyne

Wednesday November. Unfamiliar & lesser known operas and composers
Tonight we present the two brothers, Ricci Federico 1809 - 1877. b.Naples in collaboration with Luigi Ricci Luigi 1805 - 1859 b.Naples
‘Crispino e La Comare’ Crispin & The Fairy Godmother Melodramma giocoso in three acts.
Libretto / Francesco Maria Piave. 1st performed in Venice 1850.
Cast:- Roberto Coviello Baritone, Crispino, Daniela Lojarro Soprano,Annetta, Simone Alaimo Basso, Fabrizio, Antonio Marani, Baritono, Mirabolano, Enrico Cossutta Tenore, Contino, Riccardo Ristori Basso, Don Asdrubale, Daniela Benori Soprano, Lisetta, Serena Lazzarini Mezzosoprano, La Comare, Marcello Siclari Baritono, Bortolo.
Coro ‘Francesco Cilea’ di Reggio Calabria / Orchestra Sinfonica di San Remo / Paolo Carignani.
Bongiovanni GB 2095 / 96-2 Duration CD 1. 67’ 56’’ CD 2. 60’ 01’’ p. 1989.
This is an extremely rare recording, one of only two available in the world.
Luigi Ricci often collaborated with his brother, Federico, as in this comic opera, although it is little known today.
The plot is set in Venice, and is a satire on the medical profession. A poor cobbler is saved from suicide by his fairy godmother who turns him into a fashionable doctor. He becomes rich, conceited and unbearable, so she gives him a glimpse of hell, then turns him back into a humble cobbler where he is happier.
Daphne Kyne

An Aside: Luigi loved twin sisters and married one, still keeping up with the other ! Nine years after ‘Crispino e La Compare’ was staged, Luigi Ricci became insane and died in a mental hospital in Prague. !

Thursday  November. Tonight we present
Bellini Vincenzo 1801-1835 b. Catania Sicily
‘Bianca e Fernando’, Melodrama semiserio in two acts.
Libretto / Domenico Gilardoni with the revisions by Felice Romani.
Cast: Yasuko Hayashi Bianca, Antonio Savastano Fernando, Mario Machi Carlo,
Enrico Fissore Filippo, Eftimios Michalopoulos Clemente, Pietro Tarantino Viscardo, Ignazio Del Monaco Uggero, Gabriella Onesti Eloisa.
Chorus and Orchestra of the E.A.R. Turin / Gabriele Ferro.
Allegro Opera D’Oro OPD 1419-2 Duration CD 1. 60’ 16’’ CD 2. 73’ 70’’ p 1976.

Bianca e Fernando Originally written as Bianca e Gernando & planned for a premiere in January 1826 in honour of the birthday of the Duke of Calabria the future King Ferdinand II. Deaths and illnesses in the royal family delayed the event. The hero of the play was indeed named Fernando, but out of respect for royal sensitivities this was altered to Gernando. The opera was given respectable reviews for it’s first performance in San Carlo, Naples 1826. Bellini later revised the opera extensively for a commissioned performance in the Carlo Fenice Theatre, Genoa on the 7th of April 1828, achieving modest success, Bianca e Fernando is the version most heard today. This was one a group of operas through which Bellini transformed the face of Italian Opera.
The Duke of Agrigento is imprisoned by Filippo who takes his place, saying the Duke is dead, & plans to marry his daughter, Bianca. The Duke’s son, Bianca’s brother, returns, and they go to the Duke’s dungeon and release him, so he can rightfully reclaim his position, & the evil Filippo gets his just deserts !! Daphne Kyne .

Friday  November. Tonight we broadcast an opera sung in English
Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria 1797-1848 b. Bergamo.
‘Don Pasquale’, Drama buffo in three acts. Libretto / Giovanni Ruffini and Gaetano Donizetti after A Anelli.
Cast:- Andrew Shore Baritone, Jason Howard Baritone, Barry Banks Tenor, Lynne Dawson Soprano, Clive Bayley Bass.
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry.
Chandos 3011 Duration CD 1. 54’ 49’’ CD 2. 72’ 13’’ p 1998.
Don Pasquale 1st performed in Paris 1843. A brilliant overture leads to a splendid comic opera with touches of pathos which for many people represents Donizetti’s finest achievement. Pasquale wants a bride and Dr. Malatesta recommends his cousin Norina, pretending she’s his sister. Pasquale’s nephew, Ernesto, refuses to marry the girl his uncle has chosen. A lot of comic confusion and misunderstandings occur, and the opera is a masterpiece of comedy and tuneful music. Ernesto finally marries Norina with Pasquale’s blessing. Daphne Kyne

Saturday  November. Tonight we present A Definitive Performance
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus 1756-1791 b.Salzburg
‘Mitridate, re di Ponto’, in three acts, KV 87 / 74a. Libretto / Vittorio Amedeo
Cigna-Santi. from the Tragedy of Jean Racine.
Cast:- Marcel Reijans Tenor, Francine van der Heyden Soprano, Marije van Stralen Soprano, Johannette Zomer Soprano, Cecile van de Sant Mezzo-Soprano, Young-Hee Kim Soprano, Alexei Grigoev Tenor. Erwin Wieringa Solo Horn / Michael Borgstede Harpsichord / Musica Ad Rhenum /Jed Wentz
Brilliant Classics 92114-7 / 8 / 9. Set No. 4 Duration D 1 54’ 21’’ D 2 61’ 09’’ D 3 64’ 37’’ p 2001.
Mitridate, King of Pontus’ K 87 1st performed in the Regio Ducal Theatre, Milan 1770, Mozart was aged 14 years. King Mitridate is to marry Aspasia, but both his sons also love her, & she loves the younger one. In a tale of warfare, misunderstandings & treachery, the king finally sends poison to Aspasia, & he is fatally wounded in battle. Aspasia is saved from drinking the poison & is able, finally, to marry the king’s younger son.
An Aside: The first performance lasted six hours, including several ballets by other composers, & Milan was treated to 22 performances. There is some delicious lyrical music, & notably an aria with horn obligato. So the opera contains music of great beauty, especially towards the end. Daphne Kyne