I had no idea what to expect. Found the story and thought it mighty be interesting. I was pleasantly surprised. The music is lush in places and supporting of the singers. If anyone wants a novelty, this is worth a listen.

This opera, written in 1949, was Alfano's final composition. The story is based on an 1855 novel (initially published in English) by Giovanni Ruffini [1807-1881], who devised the plot as a means to convince the British to support Italian unification. The title character is a revolutionary fighting against the ruling powers of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (whose capital was Naples). The doctor falls in love with the daughter of an English aristocrat but abandons her to return to Italy in a fight for nationalism that results in his death. Ruffini is also known as the librettist for Donizetti's "Don Pasquale."

Franco Alfano, although a respected and successful composer of opera in Italy during the early part of the 20th century and the late 19th., is remembered today for one opera: Risurrezione, and as the composer who completed Puccini's Turandot. After Toscanini's arrogant rejection of Alfano's work, it took 60 years before the Alfano ending was heard as intended.Like his contemporary, Zandonai, he was an innovative orchestrator, had a real melodic gift and was at the cutting edge of the movement from the Verismo to modern opera. Dottor Antonio is reminiscent in many ways of Zandonai's beautiful opera Francesca da Rimini, in the constant beauty of its cantabile passages and the individuality of its symphonic orchestration.Dottore Antonio has been adapted from the novel by Giovanni Ruffini which does not have an English edition. The story involves an English astrocrat and his daughter stranded at Ostia who by the wiles and charm of one Dr. Antonio begin to love the Italian land and it's people. How closely the opera follows this story I cannot vouch for, but as Risurrezzione is as faithful to Tolstoy as the music form will allow, one can assume that this opera is faithful to Ruffino.The present recording is a fine one. A radio broadcast of studio quality it has two Italian singers loved and famous in their country during the 50's: Carla Gavazzi and Giancinto Prandelli. Gavazzi was a formidable spinto, and Prandelli was a fine lyric tenor who did not achieve comparable success outside Italy.Even without a libretto or satisfactory synopsis the music and the fine voices make this a listening pleasure.A valuable and welcome edition.

Gavazzi is wonderful. Used to have a Cetra recording of Don Giovanni w/her and Mary Curtis Verna, Cesare Valetti and Giuseppe Taddei.Prandelli recorded La Boheme w/ Tebaldi. Elena Nicolai said he was perhaps the most aristocratic tenor she ever appeared with.I suspect that he sounded even better on stage than on recordings. Somany tenors do.