Rossini - Adelaide di Borgogna (Opera Rara)

Adelaide di Borgogna was first given at the Teatro Argentina in Rome on 27 December 1817, and is based on a libretto by Giovanni Federico Schmidt. Adelaide was a real-life character, born in 931 AD, the daughter of the King of Burgundy. She was imprisoned in a fortress on Lake Como by her husband's murderer, but managed to escape, and eventually got remarried (to King Otto I of Saxony, who became the King of Lombardy), spending the rest of her life founding churches and monasteries. She was canonized in 1097, just under 100 years after her death.

The opera focuses on the defeat of Berengario, murderer of Adelaide's husband, by Ottone the Great, Emperor of Germany, who marries her and becomes the King of Italy. I found Rossini's response to the tale rather inspired, indeed the opera provides opportunities for both action and reflection. Adelaide is given to a virtuosic soprano while Ottone is a trouser role (sung by a mezzo soprano), which allows for some marvellous scenes of interaction between the two main female singers. In particular, the three-part Adelaide-Ottone duet just before the end of the first act, is a lyric masterpiece, while both act finales are exciting and emotionally engaging.

A dedicated cast of Opera Rara regulars is brought into focus by conductor Giuliano Carella (who also conducted the recent recording of Donizetti's Il diluvio universale). The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is ideally buoyant and light in this music, and although Carella drives them pretty hard, they are nimble enough to cope.

Majella Cullagh takes the title role, and her performance (which was recorded live, though the sound quality is superb) is never less than emotive. She deals incredibly well with the demanding high coloratura of the part, while conveying the essential goodness of her character through a purity of tone. Jennifer Larmore almost steals the show from her, however, with her rich voice and powerful articulation perfectly suited to the role of the king, Ottone.

Bruce Ford's voice is not perhaps as flexible as it once was, but the gravity of his delivery seems appropriate to the part of Adelberto, son of Berengario. Mirco Palazzi could hardly be bettered as the evildoer Berengario, while in the smaller roles, Rebecca Bottone (Eurice), Ashley Carling (Ernesto) and Mark Wilde (Iroldo) are all of the high vocal standard that we have come to expect Opera Rara to provide. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus excels throughout, but particularly in the concertato finale to Act 1.

This is an important recording of an interesting work from Rossini's middle-period output, for which both Opera Rara and the Peter Moores Foundation (the sponsor) deserve both praise and support. Why not give it a try?

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