Rossini: Matilde di Shabran (2006)

Matilde di Shabran's length, (over three hours) as well as the absurdity and complexity of its plot (even by operatic standards), may account for its relative obscurity. The speed at which Rossini had to write the piece is bound to have had an effect on the amount of care he could devote to its details; he first saw the libretto, which had been hastily cobbled together by Jacopo Ferretti, about two months before the premiere. He borrowed from earlier works and enlisted the help of Giovanni Pacini in the composition in order ... Read More

Matilde di Shabran's length, (over three hours) as well as the absurdity and complexity of its plot (even by operatic standards), may account for its relative obscurity. The speed at which Rossini had to write the piece is bound to have had an effect on the amount of care he could devote to its details; he first saw the libretto, which had been hastily cobbled together by Jacopo Ferretti, about two months before the premiere. He borrowed from earlier works and enlisted the help of Giovanni Pacini in the composition in order to make the deadline, although for later productions he replaced Pacini's contributions with newly composed music. The resulting opera is occasionally more formulaic than his best work, but even formulaic Rossini is always finely crafted and frequently delightful. As an opportunity to showcase such skilled comic singers as the principals in this performance, this recording is a welcome addition to the Rossini canon available on disc.There is real electricity between Juan Diego... Read Less