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Donizetti: Belisario

Nicola Alaimo (Belisario), Joyce El-Khoury (Antonina), Camilla Roberts (Irene), Russell Thomas (Alamiro), Alastair Miles (Giustiniano), Julia Sporsen (Eudora), Peter Hoare (Eutropio), Edward Price (Eusebio), MIchael Bundy (Ottario), Darren Jeffery (Centurione)

BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Mark...

Donizetti: Belisario

Awards:

this Opera Rara recording makes amends for [Belisario's] long neglect. That is above all thanks to the conducting of Mark Elder...He injects it with such energy and pathos that you are reminded...

BBC Music Magazine, January 20145 out of 5 stars

More reviews

Donizetti: Belisario

Nicola Alaimo (Belisario), Joyce El-Khoury (Antonina), Camilla Roberts (Irene), Russell Thomas (Alamiro), Alastair Miles (Giustiniano), Julia Sporsen (Eudora), Peter Hoare (Eutropio), Edward Price (Eusebio), MIchael Bundy (Ottario), Darren Jeffery (Centurione)

BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Mark...

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Awards:

this Opera Rara recording makes amends for [Belisario's] long neglect. That is above all thanks to the conducting of Mark Elder...He injects it with such energy and pathos that you are reminded...

BBC Music Magazine, January 20145 out of 5 stars

More reviews

About

Belisario is, quite simply, one of Donizetti’s finest achievements. It proved a triumph on stages throughout the 19th century, yet, incredibly, it is little known today. The libretto, by Salvadore Cammarano (who collaborated with Donizetti on Lucia di Lammermoor), tells the moving and typically complicated story of the 6th century Byzantine general.

Falsely accused by his wife, Antonina (Joyce El-Khoury), of killing their son, he was blinded and exiled as his punishment. Only the recognition by his daughter, Irene (Camilla Roberts), that her father’s former captive, Alamiro (Russell Thomas), was her long-lost brother restores Belisario’s (Nicola Alaimo) reputation; tragically, too late to save his life.

Recorded in the studio, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Opera Rara’s Artistic Director Sir Mark Elder, this two disc set is accompanied by a complete libretto with an English translation alongside an article and synopsis by the eminent 19th-century musical scholar, Jeremy Commons.

  • Release date: 4th Nov 2013
  • Label: Opera Rara
  • Catalogue number: ORC49
  • Length: 2 hours 4 minutes
  • Genre:

Contents and tracklist

Donizetti: Belisario: Sinfonia
Work length6:44
Donizetti: Belisario, Act 1
Work length53:21
"Plauso di eterna gloria" (Chorus)
Track length1:58
"Corri amica, voliam sulla sponda" (Irene, Chorus)
Track length5:26
"Plauso! Voci di gioia!" (Antonina, Eutropio)
Track length2:20
"Sin la tomba è a me negata!" (Antonina)
Track length2:53
"Ti conforta dell'eccesso" (Eutropio, Antonina)
Track length0:56
"O desio della vendetta" (Antonina, Eutropio)
Track length3:57
"O nume degli exerciti" (Giustiniano, Chorus)
Track length3:24
"Cesare, hai vinto e l'itala contrada" (Belisario, Giustiniano, Alamiro)
Track length2:28
"Liberi siete...Quando di sangue tinto" (Belisario, Alamiro)
Track length4:28
"Sul campo della gloria" (Belisario, Alamiro)
Track length3:28
"Padre!..." (Irene, Belisario, Antonina, Eutropio, Alamiro, Eudora, Chorus)
Track length2:37
"Che mai sarà" (Chorus)
Track length3:38
"Sostegni del mio trono, un fero evento" (Giustiniano, Chorus, Eutropio, Belisario, Antonina, Irene)
Track length3:23
"Figlia, consorte..." (Giustiniano, Chorus, Eutropio, Belisario, Antonina, Irene)
Track length1:58
"Ah, da chi son io tradito!" (Belisario, Irene, Alamiro, Antonina, Eutropio, Giustiniano, Chorus)
Track length3:33
"Madre tu fosti, e moglie" (Belisario, Antonina, Irene, Alamiro, Giustiniano, Chorus)
Track length1:43
"Sognai... fra genti... Barbare..." (Belisario, Antonina, Irene, Alamiro, Giustiniano, Chorus)
Track length2:23
"Ah! Pera l'empio che offese natura" (Antonina, Irene, Belisario, Alamiro, Giustiniano, Chorus)
Track length2:48
Donizetti: Belisario, Act 2
Work length28:42
"Oh, duce! Oh eccesso orribile!..." (Chorus, Alamiro)
Track length2:25
"Comando fu di Cesare" (Chorus, Alamiro)
Track length2:30
"A sì tremendo annunzio" (Alamiro)
Track length2:43
"Vien la figlia!" (Chorus, Alamiro, Irene)
Track length1:38
"Misera figlia... Irene addio...Trema Bisanzio!" (Alamiro)
Track length3:50
"Amici, è forza separarci" (Irene, Belisario, Eusebio)
Track length4:46
"Se vederla a me non lice" (Belisario, Irene)
Track length2:00
"Ah, se potessi piangere" (Belisario, Irene)
Track length4:52
"Dunque andiam de' giorni miei" (Belisario, Irene)
Track length3:58
Donizetti: Belisario, Act 3
Work length35:36
Introduzione
Track length2:29
"Qui siedi, o padre, e le tue stanche membra" (Irene, Belisario)
Track length2:24
"Diffondasi terrible" (Chorus)
Track length1:22
"Impavidi guerrieri" (Alamiro, Belisario, Irene, Chorus, Ottario)
Track length0:56
"Fermate! Belisario" (Alamiro, Belisario, Irene, Chorus, Ottario)
Track length2:22
"Mi mancano gli accenti" (Belisario, Alamiro, Irene, Ottario, Chorus)
Track length1:35
"Se il iglio / fratel / padre stringere" (Irene, Belisario)
Track length2:44
"Figli, partiam qui l'aura" (Belisario, Ottario, Chorus, Irene)
Track length3:56
"Itene al campo, e sia palese al duce" (Giustiniano, Antonina)
Track length2:52
"Da quel dì che l'innocente" (Antonina)
Track length3:28
"Vittoria! Vittoria!" (Chorus, Giustiniano, Antonina, Irene)
Track length1:25
"Di pianto, di gemiti" (Antonina, Irene, Giustiniano, A Centurion)
Track length6:05
"Egli è spento, e del perdono" (Antonina)
Track length3:58

Spotlight on this release

Awards and reviews

  • BBC Music Magazine
    January 2014
    Opera Choice

January 2014

this Opera Rara recording makes amends for [Belisario's] long neglect. That is above all thanks to the conducting of Mark Elder...He injects it with such energy and pathos that you are reminded of how the conductor can be the most important person when it comes to performing opera...Alaimo does the [title] part justice...[Thomas] lifts it all onto a higher plane.
5 out of 5 stars

7th January 2014

The singing of Sicilian Nicola Alaimo is tower of strength in the eponymous title role...[El-Khoury] is a formidable talent whose open-toned voice allied to vocal sensitivity and characterisation is too rare these days...The BBC chorus are tremendous and Sir Mark Elder provides an ideal catalyst.

20th October 2013

Nicola Alaimo leads one of the finest casts Opera Rara has assembled for Donizetti. Joyce El-Khoury (Antonina) and Russell Thomas (Alamiro) are outstanding.

Opera Now

Elder’s conducting displays great belief in the opera and he leads a passionate performance. As Antonina, Joyce El-Khoury’s naturally fast and highly distinctive soprano is hugely welcome in an age of increasing vocal homogeneity; she attacks the role’s considerable demands head-on and delivers a thrilling performance.
5 out of 5 stars
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