Composed in 1828 and later revised, Alina is a delight. Written for the amazing tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini and his wife Serafina, it was well received; but Donizetti fixed it up in 1833 for Rome and in 1841 it was played 21 times at La Scala, Milan.
The plot concerns Alina, a country girl from Provence, who was kidnapped five years prior to the start of the opera, taken to Golconda, and married to the king. After his death she must choose a new mate–a male monarch is a requirement–and here is where the opera begins. The noble Seide (tenor) loves her, but she is still thinking of Volmar (baritone), a Frenchman from her past. Also in Golconda is Fiorina, another kidnapped French girl, who misses her old boyfriend Belfiore (bass). A ship shows up and who do you suppose is on it? Yup, it’s Vol and Bel, looking for their kidnapped girlfriends. Alina puts Volmar through tests to see if he still loves her; Seide foments a revolution and hurls Alina into prison after a 15-minute duet in which he tries to make her love him. There is a happy ending, with both couples reunited.
Alina has a perky opening aria, a fine buffo duet for Belfiore and Volmar, a complex quartet, and a terrific finale in Act 1; Act 2 features a pair of nice duets. Alina’s final rondo is not Donizetti at his best, but it doesn’t spoil the preceding fun.
Produced from a performance in 1987 in Ravenna, the live recording captures soprano Daniela Dessi early in her career, long before she became a verismo soprano. She’s in good voice, has spirit, and works well off the text. Rockwell Blake is Seide, sounding as if he wished the role were more florid and more difficult; he’s terrific. Both Paolo Coni and Andrea Martin as Volmar and Belfiore are fluent in coloratura and are convincing. Adelisa Tabiadon is sprightly as Fiorina. The chorus is good enough, although the sopranos could use more heft, and the orchestra plays well under conductor Antonello Allemandi. This re-release has been around for several years; I liked it 10 years ago and I still recommend it. (An Italian-language-only libretto is supplied and the essay and plot summary make little sense.)
