Rossini & Donizetti: French Bel Canto Arias

Featuring

Corrado Rovaris
Lisette Oropesa
Kristina Fuchs
Frank Blümel
Juan Carlos Navarro
Zhi Yi

Alexander Födisch
Meinhardt Möbius
Ulf Prelle
Dresdner Philharmonie
Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
Gioachino Rossini
Gaetano Donizetti

Did you know?

1/7

Historical Context

For Italian composers like Donizetti, Paris's Théâtre Italien was a crucial entry point, becoming a prestigious venue for Italian opera under Rossini's influence.

Compositional Technique

In Guillaume Tell, Rossini deliberately moved away from multi-movement arias, focusing instead on lyrical depth rather than technical demands for solo pieces.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in April 2021 at the Kulturpalast Dresden, Germany, with physical distancing due to the Covid pandemic.

Historical Context

Donizetti's extensive work across various Parisian operatic institutions in the late 1830s and early 1840s was termed a 'véritable guerre d'invasion' by Hector Berlioz.

Composition History

Donizetti's adaptation of Lucia di Lammermoor for Parisian audiences involved significant changes, including replacing Lucia's entrance aria with a cavatina from another opera.

Album & Artwork

This album combines soprano Lisette Oropesa's love for the French language and Italian bel canto opera.

Composition History

Rossini's French opera Le siège de Corinthe was a revision of his earlier Italian opera Maometto II, involving new compositions and adaptations rather than simple translations.