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L'Italiana in Algeri
The star of this bubbling performance is undoubtedly Oliviero de Fabritiis. And if you think that's a polite way of compensating for a mediocre cast, think again. The singers are excellent, but it's de Fabritiis who elevates the entire experience. His conducting doesn't just shape the orchestra; it draws a remarkable level of precision, rhythmic clarity, and expressive unity from the singers as well, fusing stage and pit in a way that's rarely heard.
Gianna Pederzini brings true contralto credentials to the role of Isabella, her interpretation backed by decades of experience (including her later turn as Madame de Croisy in the world premiere of Dialogues des Carmélites). She opts for transpositions in both arias, which leads to some creative harmonic retooling to accommodate her preferred keys. Nino Ederle lends Lindoro a masculine charm, excelling in the lyrical passages, though he wrestles a bit with the coloratura. As Mustafà, Vincenzo Bettoni finds the perfect balance between comic flair and vocal authority—more Le Nozze di Figaro than Barber of Seville, but with a dose of both. And in the smaller role of Haly, a 24-year-old Giuseppe Taddei already shows his promise. He must have made quite the impression on de Fabritiis, who chose to preserve Haly's Act II aria amid a sea of cuts.
Track List
Act I
1. Sinfonia
2. Serenata il mesto ciglio
3. Delle donne l'arroganza
4. Languir per una bella
5. Se inclinassi a prender moglie
6. Quanta roba! Quanti schiavi!
7. Cruda sorte!
8. Ai capricci della sorte
9. Viva, viva il flagello delle donne
10. Oh! Che muso
11. Vo' star con mia nipote, io sono il signor zio
12. Pria di dividerci da voi, Signore
2. Serenata il mesto ciglio
3. Delle donne l'arroganza
4. Languir per una bella
5. Se inclinassi a prender moglie
6. Quanta roba! Quanti schiavi!
7. Cruda sorte!
8. Ai capricci della sorte
9. Viva, viva il flagello delle donne
10. Oh! Che muso
11. Vo' star con mia nipote, io sono il signor zio
12. Pria di dividerci da voi, Signore
Act II
13. Uno stupido, uno stolto
14. Viva il grande Kaimakan
15. Ho un gran peso sulla testa
16. Per lui che adoro
17. Ti presento di mia mano
18. Siete servita
19. Le femmine d'Italia
20. Pappataci! Che mai sento!
21. Pronto abbiamo e ferri e mani
22. Pensa alla patria
23. Dei Pappataci s'avanza il coro
24. Son l'aure seconde, son placide l'onde
25. Andiamo... Buon viaggio!
14. Viva il grande Kaimakan
15. Ho un gran peso sulla testa
16. Per lui che adoro
17. Ti presento di mia mano
18. Siete servita
19. Le femmine d'Italia
20. Pappataci! Che mai sento!
21. Pronto abbiamo e ferri e mani
22. Pensa alla patria
23. Dei Pappataci s'avanza il coro
24. Son l'aure seconde, son placide l'onde
25. Andiamo... Buon viaggio!
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Sweden
Unique pre-1950 Rossini
Very enjoyable and also valuable as a document of performance practices. Devotees of Supervia's 78 sides from L'Italiana will note that Bettoni and Ederle are here heard in a complete performance - or rather, at 1h52' about as complete as the opera was done in those days. I believe three numbers and some recitative are cut, but Taddei sings Haly's short aria about Italian women. I can't recall any complete recorded Rossini performances pre-1950, except gramophone recordings of Il barbiere di Siviglia, but these were assembled from 4-minute takes.Another source credits Berlin's radio with this, and it seems the opera was a bradcast without movements on stage and audience. The sound has good range and dynamics, and more depth than expected. There is some minimal distorsion and gentle rustling from the lacquers, but it is very good for its time.This studio broadcast certainly was part of the Rome Opera's visit to Berlin in April 1941, performing Norma, Un ballo in maschera, La fanciulla del West and maybe more. It is dated the 27th, and since 2002 we have been able to enjoy a similar performance of Falstaff from the next day which was issued on CDs by Music&Arts, thanks to the German Radio Archive. I've read this was a return visit after the Berlin State Opera had visited the Rome Opera - a cultural exchange decided by Hitler himself. The importance of the occasion is reflected in the really excellent performance.
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