Thirty years ago, Mercadante’s name was found only in history books. The past 20 years has seen increased interest, and now there are more than 90 CDs available featuring at least an aria or two or an instrumental piece. He composed more than 60 operas and by 1840 was more respected in Italy than Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. As Verdi became more popular, Mercadante turned more and more to instrumental music; contemporary reports suggest he was jealous of the younger composer.
His early works were very Rossinian, filled with showy vocal lines, crescendos, and so forth. In the early 1830s he began to “revolutionize” his style, paying more attention to the orchestra, “banishing” trivial cabalettas, turning large ensembles into true ensembles, with no extended solos. This CD presents three of his songs–a light Tyrolean sweetly sung by William Matteuzzi, a dark, dramatic moment from a dying man sung with rich tone and feeling by Bruce Ford, and a coy, flirtatious ditty enchantingly embraced by soprano Yvonne Kenny, all with David Harper on piano–as well as excerpts from five operas.
The grandest is from the early Gabriella di Vergy, a sextet with a lovely slow start, a bridge, and then an exciting six-voiced, complex cabaletta; this last is then repeated with wild embellishments from all six singers. A trio for tenor, baritone, and bass (with chorus) from Orazi e Curiazi is a dark oath, with noodling clarinet figures to set the mood. A somber prayer from Emma d’Antiochia could be by Bellini and is nicely etched by Nelly Miricioiu; a big aria for tenor (with bass and chorus) from Virginia, Mercadante’s last opera, begins in a distinctly Verdian, dramatically exclaimed fashion but ends in a jolly-jaunty cabaletta, seemingly just the type the composer was supposed to have eschewed. There’s a trio and a duet from Zaire, both beautiful and both featuring the lovely Majella Cullagh and heroic, stylish Bruce Ford (with Alastair Miles). Miricioiu and baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore end the CD with a rousing, highly dramatic confrontational duet and lento aria finale with chorus from Orazi e Curiazi.
As suggested, this CD is filled with wonderful singing of music by a fascinating and undeservedly overlooked composer. The accompaniments are superb, the sonics are ideal. Precisely why Opera Rara chose to leave out texts and translations for such rare material is a mystery (although as always they include intelligent notes and synopses)–but there’s no mystery about the fact that this is a terrific CD.
