Dmitrijus Matvejevas
Accentus Music just lately launched what they’ve dubbed the “first skilled recording” of Almicare Ponchielli’s I Lituani (The Lithuanians), his first fee from the Ricordi publishing home the nice success of his revised model of I promessi sposi . Ricordi proposed the enormously standard, nationalistic 1828 poem Konrad Wallenrod by Adam Mickiewicz as the topic.
The Polish-language poem fictionalizes the small print of the lifetime of its eponymous hero and his position in serving to to defeat his individuals’s long-standing enemy, the Order of Teutonic Knights. It was a thinly veiled protest in opposition to the Russian partition of the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth and is credited with inciting the 1830 rebellion in opposition to Russian rule.
The operatic model fictionalizes issues additional. Walter (tenor, after all) is a Lithuanian who goes behind enemy strains disguised because the Teutonic Knight, Corrado Wallenrod . After 10 years, he turns into the Grand Grasp of the Teutonic Knights and plans to undermine them in battle with the Lithuanians. His spouse Aldona (soprano), brother-in-law Arnoldo (baritone), and neighborhood Oracle ( Albano, bass) sneak into the celebration for Walter’s investiture disguised as bards. They sing concerning the unhappy destiny of Lithuania and its imminent liberation.
The evil Vitoldo (bass) acknowledges Aldona, however Corrado prevents their arrest. Vitoldo could be very suspicious. Corrado is discovered, however not earlier than inflicting the Teutonic Knights to lose to the Lithuanians in battle. He’s sentenced to loss of life, however drinks poison earlier than he could be executed. He dies in Aldona’s arms. The Divine Spirt of Lithuania arrives to welcome his soul to heaven. Everybody sings “He who redeems a individuals may have everlasting fame.”
The work actually shares most of the strengths of La Gioconda: a brooding, lyric overture that builds to a dramatic climax, passionate arias for all of the ideas, spectacular ensembles, and many vivid choral writing. For me, the largest draw back of the work is that it most likely has an excessive amount of choral singing, which is one thing I assumed I’d by no means complain about in an opera. There are giant ceremonial choral sections in two of the acts and so they grind the motion to a halt even when sung in addition to they’re right here by the Kaunas State Choir. Nonetheless, the work is unquestionably price your consideration. Conductor Modestas Pitrėnas, main the Lithuanian Nationwide Symphony Orchestra and an all Lithuanian forged, succeeds in making a compelling case for the work regardless of just a few soloists whose voices are much less glamorous than the work requires.
Essentially the most profitable is baritone Modestas Sedlevičius who shows a lush, highly effective voice and he provides a powerful rendition of his huge aria “O rimembranze.” I’m shocked this doesn’t seem on extra baritone recitals. Bass Tadas Girininkas kicks the opera off strongly along with his lament over the destruction of his nation by the Teutons.
Tenor Kristian Benedikt might be the perfect identified title within the forged (at the very least to me). He has the ability and stamina for the grueling position, however his timbre can flip acidic. As his spouse Aldona, soprano Jūratė Švedaitė-Waller has her challenges as properly. The temperament is there however at occasions the singing sounds breathy and unsupported and lacks clear articulation of the textual content. Regardless of these caveats, the recording is beneficial.
This opera has a really slim discography and efficiency historical past. There was a radio broadcast on RAI within the 70s that was launched unofficially. There are a few different live performance performances on youtube, and Jonas Kaufmann included the act III aria in his 2010 verismo album. In any other case, I realized that there’s a firm known as The Lithuanian Opera Firm of Chicago which carried out this work a number of occasions. Anyone seen it?
Daybreak Fatale
Richard Lynn is a New York Metropolis primarily based opera lover who writes at parterre field underneath the title Daybreak Fatale. His love of opera began at a really younger age when he used to take heed to the Met broadcasts and obsessively learn again problems with Opera Information in lieu of socializing at household gatherings. In faculty, he majored in Chemistry whereas taking as many music and theater programs as doable. He labored at the Music Library to get entry to the opera recordings that had been off limits to undergraduates. Because the early Nineteen Nineties he has been writing about opera at parterre field and different publications and is especially the evolution of staging and efficiency practices.
