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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Rossini happy ending, 31 Dec 2004
"Maometto secondo" started life in 1820 as one of Rossini's Naples operas, where it ends tragically with the heroine's suicide as the triumphant Turks conquer Negroponte. When Rossini came to transfer the opera to Venice, he added an overture and a happy ending, since both were the custom there; and otherwise tweaked the piece, for example adding a chorus from his earlier "Ermione". All this might predispose one to think the Venice version inferior, but far from it -- it's a little shorter than the original (compare this with the Anderson and Ramey version of the original, on Philips), but that just tightens up a somewhat confusing plot.Naxos have produced an excellent recording, at a great price. Denis Sedov isn't quite Samuel Ramey, but he acts engagingly as well as singing, getting you involved in the story; the same can be said for Luisa Islam-Ali-Zade's Anna. In this version, Anna is a mezzo, and one of the previously tenor roles, the Venetian general Condulmiero, is played by a bass; personally, I found this lower sound gave a different and attractive character to the opera as a whole. For those who like a happy ending, in this version of the story, Maometto isn't confronted with Anna's suicide over the tomb of her mother. Instead he's invited outside to duel with Calbo, the young Venetian general to whom Anna has become betrothed (here sung by the contralto Anna-Rita Gemmabella). Offstage, Calbo evidently defeats Maometto - although we don't see it - since instead of the 1820 version's influx of triumphant Turks into the besieged city, we get a parade of triumphant Venetians, and all that's left is for Anna to fall into Calbo's arms for the rondo finale. Naxos are doing well by Rossini at the moment: their "Tancredi" (with Ewa Podles and Sumi Jo) is astounding. Rossini in fact rewrote "Maometto secondo" several times - including a longer version to be staged in Paris, as "Le Siege de Corinthe" - but with this production of the 1822 opera, Naxos have me convinced this is the tautest and most musically pleasing of the versions on offer.
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