The neglect of Donizetti's Il Castello di Kenilworth is hard to understand. The opera was first performed in 1829, as Elisabetta al Castello di Kenilworth, and it was the first in a series of operas devoted to Tudor England; it's far less common than Anna Bolena (1830) and Maria Stuarda (1834). Those operas may have refined the formula a bit, but it was this work that created many of the moves. It has rarely been recorded, and this live performance from the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo will be welcomed by Donizetti fans. ...
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The neglect of Donizetti's Il Castello di Kenilworth is hard to understand. The opera was first performed in 1829, as Elisabetta al Castello di Kenilworth, and it was the first in a series of operas devoted to Tudor England; it's far less common than Anna Bolena (1830) and Maria Stuarda (1834). Those operas may have refined the formula a bit, but it was this work that created many of the moves. It has rarely been recorded, and this live performance from the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo will be welcomed by Donizetti fans. The plot, taken from the novel Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott, revolves around a visit by Queen Elizabeth to the titular castle, forcing the Earl of Leicester to hide his new bride in a prison from the possibly disapproving Queen. There she is assaulted by the Earl's horse-keeper, leading to machinations and recriminations. The real star of the show is veteran opera conductor Riccardo Frizza, who keeps the action moving and finds the many signs of the later Donizetti. Sample...
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