Wolf-Ferrari I gioielli della Madonna

[Alan Howe]

For those who want to sample excerpts from the Naxos recording, they're now available at jpc:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/wolf-ferrari-i-gioielli-madon/hnum/2826384

[adriano]

Meanwhile, there is a review:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/unnecessary-gioiellirespectable-performance/?utm_source=Classics+Today+Subscribers&utm_campaign=68395c74de-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6ca671ff6a-68395c74de-98642073

[Alan Howe]

Here's the review in full:

Unnecessary Gioielli/Respectable Performance
Artistic Quality: 8
Sound Quality: 7
by Robert Levine

Composer of a bunch of chamber music as well as 15 operas, most of which are comic, the half-German, half-Italian Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari is rarely heard from today. His comic works, coming from the buffo tradition of Goldoni, are well regarded, but somewhere near the middle of his career—in 1911, to be exact—he decided to throw his hat into the ring occupied by Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and the other verismo composers. The result is I Gioielli della Madonna, a quasi-pile of crap of an opera that is so over-orchestrated and over-populated (there are almost 30 solo roles) that even when you sit back and realize the skill with which many of the ensembles are put together—Wolf-Ferrari's sense of counterpoint is almost too fine for such direct brutality—it offers little pleasure.

The plot—as loaded as a twice baked, bacon-filled, cheesy potato—is set in Naples at the time of the opera's composition. Gennaro, a blacksmith, is hot for Maliella, his low-born foster sister (whom his mother, Carmela, took in as penance when Gennaro, ill as a child, was saved), who finds his attention to her ridiculous and lets him know it. She's intrigued by Rafaele, the head of the local Camorra (a Mafia-type group), and he desperately wants her because 1) she is wild and arrogant, and 2) she is a virgin.

Rafaele offers Maliella the jewels that hang around the Madonna's neck in the local church, but even Maliella can't accept such sacrilege; she can, however, tell Gennaro about Rafaele's offer, which drives him to steal them. Maliella and Rafaele share a hot love duet, after which Gennaro shows up with the jewels, and Maliella, still thinking dirty thoughts about Rafaele, gives in to Gennaro. Since her "flower" is now gone, Rafaele disowns her and she drowns herself. In a fit of insane religious ecstasy Gennaro prays for forgiveness and stabs himself.

Two of the duets are fine and melodic—oases in the midst of a lot of chaos and local color; but mostly there are peasant choruses, religious choruses, and children's choruses, along with a Tarantella and Bacchanale, between the beginning and end of the opera, most of which takes place out-of-doors so we can meet the neighbors and local thugs. Religious fervor hangs over the work like a shroud, but Cavalleria and Suor Angelica do it better. There is a xylophone and there are mandolins, but none of the inexorable catastrophe that permeates the best of verismo.

Despite a poorly balanced recording, this set will be welcomed by fans of Wolf-Ferrari and those with a curiosity about this work. Conductor Friedrich Haider keeps excitement high, even when the plot walks away and is merely commented on by every Tomasso, Riccardo, and Enrico in Naples. The tension remains high despite an inherent inability to care about the slutty, confused Maliella, the insane Gennaro, or the nasty Rafaele.

Natalia Ushakova's cutting-edge top and darkish, Tosca-like tone is just right for Maliella, and she chews up the text, smolders, and soars over the orchestra. It's a big sing and Ushakova impresses. Tenor Kyungho Kim sings steadily and is well able to express Gennaro's one dimension; his final, loony scene in front of the Madonna is finely played. The role of Rafaele really needs a steadier—and darker—baritone than Daniel Capkovic possesses. He's a nastier guy than Alfio in Cavalleria, but Capkovic sings without much authority or menace. Susanne Bernhard is a voice of reason and niceness as Carmela, Gennaro's mother, in their one duet. You'll know if you need this.

An unnecessary review, I'm tempted to say. The music's far better than that. Wonder whether Mr Levine's ever experienced it live?

[Ebubu]

I attended a Freiburg performance a few days ago, and I must say I was impressed by the quality of the work, as well as that of the cast and overall performance.  Really looking forward to the CPO recording in a few months from today.

[Alan Howe]

The cpo recording's now out, of course.

Apologies: it's the Naxos that's out.

[BerlinExpat]

The cpo recording's now out, of course.

Strange, Alan, I can't find it anywhere on their homepage!

[Alan Howe]

Eccola:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/wolf-ferrari-i-gioielli-madon/hnum/2826384

Sorry: this is the Naxos recording!

[BerlinExpat]

That's what I suspected you meant, Alan, but it's not the CPO recording mentioned above! That would be breaking all world records for them to issue CDs so quickly after the performances.

[Alan Howe]

My fault - I meant the Naxos recording, of course. Apologies. The cpo's not out yet.

[Mark Thomas]

Having had the download for a few weeks, I at last settled down to listen to it last night and what a terrific listen it turned out to be. The music itself is really vibrant, and powerfully conveys the ever-changing atmosphere of the work, brimming over with colour and melody. The plot of course is, to use that infamous description of Tosca, "a shabbly little shocker" and Robert Levine's characterisation of the principals in his review as "slutty, confused Maliella, the insane Gennaro, or the nasty Rafaele" is about right, but it makes for great verismo opera and Wolf-Ferrari holds nothing back. I loved it. Like Alan, I thought both the recording and the performances more than adequate, although I again agree with Levine that Daniel Capkovic is nowhere near as villainously snarling as he should be as Rafaele, the local mafia head. All in all though, this is a good recording of a hugely entertaining opera. My only criticism is the lack of a libretto, although the booklet does give a very thorough track by track description of the action. Thoroughly recommended.   

[Alan Howe]

I suspect the cpo recording will trump the Naxos...

[Mark Thomas]

Maybe so. If so, it'll be fine to have good, and an even better, recording of this very enjoyable opera.