Rossini: La Donna del Lago (Blu-Ray)

In the opera scene today I don't think that one can experience anything greater than the pure joy of the Bel Canto of mezzo Joyce Di Donato. As she did in Maria Stuarda she again emphasizes that statement in this album. This is pure joy - singing as must have caressed the ears of Rossini when he conceived this beautiful masterpiece. Pure joy flowing flawless "beautiful singing" as it came from his pen to the best talents of the day. The plot is light, endearing and leaves no messy aftertaste. A royal is smitten by an innocent peasant girl who happens to be the daughter of the royal's arch enemy and is herself in love with a rebel to the royals throne. It all works out well as in this political drama there are only a few bodies left on stage, not the many as occurs in Rossini's grand last opera William Tell. Lots of bodies there. Here we have ceaseless, flowing melody, easy harmonies and a happy resolution.Ms Di Donato is only one of the bel canto stars of this display work for the genre. The royal in disguise is none other than the leading bel canto tenor Juan Diego Florez. That pure beautiful tenor echoing through the Scottish highlands makes a match with Elena made in heaven. Then add the acrobatic finesse of mezzo Daniela Barcellona as Elana's true love Malcolm another rebel and it's truly bel canto heaven. Bye the way, as noted in the records introduction, in this opera the mezzo gets the mezzo - sorry about that Mr. tenor!The other two stars of this drama are John Osborn as the rebel leader Rodrigo who is also betrothed to Elena and Duglas her father also a rebel sung by Oren Gradus. Both add clear declamation and style to the proceedings.A big cheer goes to the conductor Michele Mariotti. I have heard him conduct several times from Bologna, Pesero and other festivals and he truly has the Rossini touch. At this Met broadcast he certainly demonstrated it again. Bravo maestro and Bravi to the orchestra.The story itself was fashioned by Rossini and his librettist Tottola at Naples San Carlo Opera from a French translation of the newly popular Waverly Tales by Sir Walter Scott. His octosylabic verse easily translated into French and then Italian. Soon after Rossini, dozens of opera based on Scott and other Romantic authors appeared. One of the most famous being Lucia di Lammermoor. For some twenty - thirty years after the premiere on Oct 24, 1819, La Donna del Lago was sung through Europe, Cuba and South America. It it was then forgotten along most all Rossini works except the Barber of Seville.My first acquaintance with La Donna del Lago was in October 1981. A new critical edition had been prepared by a friend, Colin Slim and was presented, to great acclaim, at Housten Grand Opera. Frederica van Stadt as Elana, Marilyn Horn as Malcom and Rockwell Blake as the Royal. It was grand Grand Opera. This present recording is of its first presentation at the Metropolitan of New York.In this production even suggestive realism has been discarded. In this Lady of the lake the lake is gone and no row boats as called for in Rossini's score. All that's left are some irregular slopes (some Scott's heather) and a flickering T.V. images that wax and wane. Actually it all works out pretty well especially the final scene in the royal hall with all it's gold costumes. Beautiful opera beautifully done.A final accolade for Ms Di Donato. As Sir Walter said of Elena:And ne'er did Grecian chisel traceA Nymph, a Naiad, or a Grace,Of finer form, or lovelier face!

La Donna del Lago is one of the operas that Rossini composed for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. It was the first of many operas to be inspired by the works of Sir Walter Scott and is based on his epic poem The Lady of the Lake. After a less than successful premiere it proved to be one of the composer's most popular pieces. It featured not only Rossini's future wife Isabella Colbran in the title role but also the two tenors Giovanni David and Andrea Nozzari who were the the other star attractions of the Neapolitan company. Added into the mix was contralto Benedetta Pisaroni resulting in an opera that was specifically composed for four of the greatest exponents of the art of Bel Canto at that point in time. That the MET was able to replicate such a situation is certainly a feather in its cap.I saw this production in the house and was so enthralled that I opted to catch the movie theater presentation a couple of weeks later. I have been anxiously awaiting its release ever since. Needless to say I was not disappointed. Isabella Colbran had a unique voice. As such she could be classified as either a soprano or mezzo soprano. Consequently both sopranos and mezzos have attempted the parts written for her. Very often mezzos don't have the type of voice that blossoms above the staff. Conversely sopranos are often not able to adequately encompass the lower reaches of the roles. With Joyce Di Donato neither is an issue as she not only has the ability to declaim the lower aspects of the part, but the voice healthily soars in the upper reaches of the the role as well.With Juan Diego Florez in the cast one is assured of vocal excellence. This is especially evident in the nocturne like aria that opens the second act. That the sometimes inconsistent John Osborne is able to match him note for note is one of the glories of the production. This is certainly notable in the concluding section of the trio in the second act which can be described as Rossini's version of dueling banjos scored for two tenors with the tenors literally dueling as the titular lady looks on. In the trouser role of the heroine's true love Daniella Barcelona not only sings well, but manages to act the part to perfection. The remainder of the cast more than adequately meets their demands.Fortunately the production is traditional with scenery and costumes depicting the Scotland of the Sir Walter Scott poem. Disappointments in the staging are few, with those mainly being the lack of Elena rowing herself across Loch Katrine in the opening scene and the somewhat incongruity of the bright red flooring when it initially appears in the final scene. The chorus is excellent, and the orchestra, and most importantly in this opera, the stage band play well and on cue for conductor Michele Mariotti. This is especially true regarding the somewhat contrapuntal ensemble that concludes the first act where soloists, two choruses, stage band, and orchestra bring the act to a rousing conclusion. Incidentally Maestro Mariotti hails form Pesaro, the birthplace of Rossini. As such he was literally surrounded with music of the town's most famous citizen from an early age.Picture and sound are totally up to today's standards as viewed in the BluRay version.This is necessary for anyone interested not only in Rossini and Bel Canto but simply great singing. Highly recommended!

La Donna del Lago is one of the greatest of Rossini’s serious operas. It doesn’t get done as often as it should – mainly due to the difficulty of casting the four main roles – two mezzo-sopranos and two tenors – all of whom need to be capable of delivering spectacular coloratura fireworks. It’s had a bit of a resurgence lately, due to the advocacy of Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Florez and Daniela Barcellona, who have sung these roles together at a number of opera houses including Covent Garden (2013) and now here at the Met. I don’t believe that there are singers alive to match them in the roles of Elena, Uberto and Malcolm, and all three are superb here. The love quadrangle is completed by John Osborn, who also delivers a stellar performance. The smaller roles are very well taken.The production, by the Glaswegian Paul Curran is completely traditional in that it sticks to the original story and time period, and doesn't introduce any loopy directorial "concepts". The sets are mostly simplistic and evocative and the costumes, to my non-expert eye, look authentic, if somewhat drab. Only the king gets a change of costume, Elena doesn't even get a new frock to get married in! Overall, the production is unobtrusive, allowing the focus to remain on the singers.The pictures are excellent, but there are some issues with the sound. Much of the time there is some very intrusive background noise – hard to describe, but a kind of ambient hissing/rustling/rumbling sound – most noticeable in the quieter passages. I’ve noticed this on some previous Met releases, but not to this extent. Technical details: 24-bit LPCM Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1.At the time of writing, this is the only version of La Donna del Lago available on blu-ray. The only other version available on DVD is a 1992 performance from La Scala. Despite my reservations about the sound, this new release is superior in every way, and is a clear first choice.

I loved the production and the signing.

Superior production and sound

Everything is great!

Di Donato is brilliant.