Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Alfredo il Grande (1823)
Alfredo, King of England – Antonino Siragusa (tenor)
Amalia, the Queen – Gilda Fiume (soprano)
Eduardo, General of the English Army – Lodovico Filippo Ravizza (baritone)
Atkins, General of the Danish Army – Adolfo Corrado (bass)
Enrichetta, an English country girl – Valeria Girardello (mezzo-soprano)
Hungarian Radio Choir; Orchestra Donizetti Opera/Corrado Rovaris
rec. live, 19 & 24 November 2023, Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo, Italy
Italian libretto and English translation available online
First recording
Reviewed as download
Naxos 8.660576-77 [2 CDs: 127]
Alfred the Great was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death. This was during the period when the Scandinavian Vikings regularly attacked and sometimes established themselves on the British Isles and in central Europe. Alfred became a hero when he managed to drive off the Danes after many complications, which provides the plot to Donizetti’s opera, ending with a mighty choral tribute to the King and an ecstatic rondo aria with chorus from Queen Amalia. She has good reason to celebrate, since she was so incautious as to walk into the arms of the Danish general before his final defeat. For a moment she thinks she is lost, but she is rescued by her own army at the last minute.
Donizetti was no beginner when he composed Alfredo il Grande. He had completed his first opera when he was nineteen in 1816, and Alfredo was already his thirteenth. He had learned his craft during his studies with Johann Simon Mayr, which had served him well, not least in instrumentation; that is very discernible also here, most notably in Alfredo’s beautiful aria Celeste voce ascolto in the second act (CD 2 track 10), which opens with a delicate orchestral introduction with clarinet solo, and the clarinet also plays an important part in the aria proper. I would say that this is the musical high point in this opera, but there are other examples of efficient scoring also in the martial music which naturally dominates in this opera, such as the short and swift sinfonia which immediately sets the scene with threatening brass and ominous timpani.
The chorus plays an important role in Alfredo il Grande, as soldiers and common folk. I imagine the stage in Bergamo was from time to time crowded, and the Hungarian Radio Choir sounds magnificent, not least the male voices in the marital scenes. There are relatively few arias, and the
lion’s share of them is allotted to Alfredo, mostly in the second act. Queen Amalia’s big aria in the finale, has already been mentioned, and the country girl Enrichetta has a fine aria with a virtuoso cabaletta early in the second act, but most scenes are ensembles, often quite strenuous. A trio with Alfredo, Amalia and Eduardo in the first act stands out (CD 1 track 10 and the duet with Amalia and Alfredo at the beginning of the second act even more. If we compare Alfredo with what was to follow half-dozen years later, the highlights are still few, and even though Donizetti’s professionalism cannot be questioned, real inspiration is missing. It may be simply that the plot didn’t suit him – and I don’t blame him.
Of the soloists, Antonino Siragusa in the title role has the heaviest burden, and since this is a dramatic role he is basically miscast. His lyrical tenor is rather thin, but he compensates for this with brilliant high notes and technical fluency. He is in his element in the lyrical bel canto and delicious piano singing of Celeste voce ascolto, mentioned above. Gilda Fiume as Amalia has the required spinto tones and her intensity is admirable, but her vibrato is occasionally too wide. Valeria Girardello‘s dark-tinted mezzo is rather wobbly when Enrichetta first is heard, but she recovers in the second act and her aria is well sung; she is rewarded with a round of applause. The rest of the cast is serviceable, sometimes more than so. The live recording cannot be faulted, but there are occasional stage sounds, and every so often the enthusiastic audience greets the singers with ovations.
Alfredo il Grande is no masterwork but it is interesting to hear a work that has collected dust in some archive for two centuries, and Donizetti fans or curious collectors could find some glimpses of gold here.
Göran Forsling
Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free
Other cast
Margherita, a country girl – Floriana Cicìo (soprano)
Giglielmo, a shepherd – Antonio Garés (tenor)
Rivers, a Dane – Andrés Agudelo (tenor)
