Gaetano Donizetti: LA FAVORITE (An opera in 4 acts)

This rarely performed grand opera masterpiece was originally written in French by the Italian bel canto master Donizetti, though it is often performed in Italian as ‘La Favorita’ (the Italian version doesn’t just feature translated text, part of the music was altered without Donizetti’s consent to fit the new libretto). It was based on Royer’s and Vaez’s play L'Ange de Nisida.

Synopsis
The opera opens at the Monastery of St. James of Compostella in Castile with the Prior Balthazar dismissing his novice monk Fernand upon learning of Fernand’s infatuation with an unknown beauty whose hand he had touched during a service. Fernand is shipped off to the Island of Leon, where he meets the courtesan Inez and her colleagues in the service of Leonor de Guzman, the mistress of King Alphonse XI.... and Fernand’s previously unknown beauty. Having mistaken her for a royalty, Fernand volunteers for the army vowing to earn glory in battle and come back deserving of her attention (love does change everything... from a peaceful monk to a glory-seeking warrior!).

Glory he seeketh, glory he receiveth. Fernand returns victorious from a battle with the Moors, earning ravish praises from Alphonse. However, Alphonse’s happy hours is cut short when he is threatened excommunication by Balthazar on direct order from the Pope( who had learnt of Alphonse’s infidelity to his queen with Leonor... courtesy of Don Gaspar’s big mouth). To add salt to the wound, Gaspar shows Alphonse an intercepted letter of an unknown admirer to Leonor (from Fernand, of course). Leonor admits to loving the sender but wouldn’t name him. Outraged, Alphonse has Inez arrested and summons for Leonor. At the same time he grants Fernand the right to marry a noblewoman. Imagine the king’s surprise when Fernand asks for Leonor!

Incredulous beyond the point of caring, Alphonse orders the 2 married out of pure spite. Wanting Fernand fully informed of her tainted position, Leonor sends Inez to tell him her life story, but the courtesan is arrested en route. So Fernand ends up learning of his intended’s affair with Alphonse from his old Prior instead. In a fit of rage worthy of being a true Castilian, Fernand dumps off his decorations at the king’s feet and runs off to the monastery, resolving to be a peaceful monk again. Just before he takes his final vow to return to monkhood; though, the ailing Leonor shows up to explain her story to him before expiring in his arm (dunno what she's ill of myself). The opera ends with the heart-broken Fernand crying out to Balthazar and the monks that his own death will soon follow .

CAST:
Alphonse XI (King of Castile): Anthony Michaels-Moore (Baritone)
Leonor de Guzman (Alphonse’s mistress): Vesselina Kasarova (Mezzo-soprano)
Ines (Leonor’s confidante): Abbie Furmansky (Soprano)
Fernand (A novice, Leonor’s lover): Ramon Vargas (Tenor)
Balthazar (Monastery superior): Carlo Colombara (Bass)
Don Gaspar (A knight): Francesco Piccoli (Tenor)

Conductor: Marcello Viotti / Munchner Rundfunkorchester

This recording is from a live concert performance in Munich in 2000.

Vesselina Kasarova, the mesmerizing Bulgarian mezzo, sings the title role of the king’s favorite, Leonor. She is indeed a favorite of opera fans like me who enjoy artists who do more than just singing the notes. This is a nervous and ;at the same time, repressively fatalistic reading of Leonor. She isn't very hysterical (except toward the end of the famous aria O mon Fernand where hysteria is called for and is amply supplied. The contrast works splendidly). Her commitment to the role is never in doubt. The voice is dark and very sensual with ringing top and mesmerizing middle notes (there is something very sensual about her tight vibrato there). Her bottom notes are imposing and solid, even though strangely unlike the rest of the voice. But like other great singers, she converts her vocal oddities into interpretative tools rather than defects. Her French is not idiomatic but isn't terrible either. It’s the kind of French you’d expect out of a German speaker.

It is the Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas in the role of Fernand who out shines just about everybody else in this recording, however. His is a gloriously gorgeous and clear as a bell lyric tenor voice that is even from top to bottom (and with a real PING too!). A youthful and majestic voice deployed by a very musical artist in command of a brilliant technique (not even Fernand's obnoxiously high tessitura (average pitch) could sink him). Drop dead gorgeous mezza voce (fading the volume of a single note soft to loud, and vice versa), intelligent phrasing in surprisingly good French, attentive to nuances in the music. I listened in awe to the ease of his rendition of Oui, ta voix m'inspire that ends Act I. Senor Vargas has all the markings of a great bel canto tenor.

In the presence of such stellar performance by the two leads, the rest of the cast is quite over-shadowed. The British baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore's Alphonse sounds uncharacteristically weak and flat in his singing. It doesn't help his effort to stay on pitch that he has to strain to be heard over the orchestra much of the time (maybe Viotti was trying to cover him out of kindness and the help was being refused? ... these two sure aren't quite on the same page volume wise). Abby Furmansky is fine as Inez and Carlo Colombara is appropriately snobbish and morose as Balthazar.

Maestro Marcello Viotti does a fine job of keeping his orchestra and the singers together. This performance was given (and recorded) after just 1 rehearsal, so there are rough edges and near misses. The comparative lack of ease and security here leads to the lack of authority in this presentation, but it does also add an exciting edge .... like an all star soccer team thrown together at the last moment just managing to come through and win the game even though they aren't always in sync with each other. Viotti's reading is clear and French sounding, but not as passionate as I had expected.

The music of Donizetti speaks for itself. What a masterful work of lyrical and scenic score. This is a French grand opera, quite unlike his Italian bel canto works. A must have for fans of French and Italian bel canto opera. Especially since this is a rare recording in its original French.
This performance boasts wonderful sound quality despite being recorded live. The opera is slightly shortened to fit 2 CD, tho. The lining booklet contains a short history of the opera, synopsis and libretto in French, English and German.

Rating: 4+ star... almost 5

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening