Leoncavallo: Zingari

by Carlo Rizzi, Krassimira Stoyanova, Arsen Soghomonyan, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Overview

Ruggero Leoncavallo was one of history's great exemplars of the one-hit wonder, with I Pagliacci (1892) being his most popular opera from the start. Leoncavallo tried to match its success for several decades, and with Zingari ("Gypsies"), he came close; the opera ran for hundreds of performances in London and also did well in the U.S. One can see what the English liked about it. It is classed as a verismo opera with its tale of a nobleman falling in love with a Romani girl who in turn falls for one of her compatriots, but until the later stages, it also has aspects of operetta, with slightly cheesy faux-Romani melodies, peppy choruses, short length (what s here is just over an hour), and a generally diatonic harmonic palette. It is as if Arthur Sullivan had undertaken a story of this kind. Zingari has occasionally been recorded, but this release, made in conjunction with a 2021 live concert performance, is probably the top choice. There's a veteran conductor, Carlo Rizzi, getting a good deal of energy out of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and some singers -- soprano Krassimira Stoyanova as the girl Fleana, Arsen Soghomonyan as the nobleman Radu, and Stephen Gaertner as his rival Tamar -- who shine in the work's profusion of solo arias and romantic duets. Kudos to the Opera Rara label, which has done fine work with Leoncavallo; this opera, with the moderate resources required, would be excellent for university productions and the like. The fact that this now little-known opera showed up on classical best-seller lists in the fall of 2022 shows the possibilities. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/18/2022
Label:	Opera Rara
UPC:	0792938006123
Rank:	51735

Tracks

1. Zingari~Overture
2. Zingari~Part 1. C¿¿¿¿¿ uno straniero
3. Zingari~Part 1. Ah! taci! non lo dir!
4. Zingari~Part 1. Son qui! Ah!
5. Zingari~Part 1. Fleana! Zingara del mio cuor
6. Zingari~Part 1. Principe! Radu io son
7. Zingari~Part 1. E sia! Rimani all¿¿¿ombra
8. Zingari~Part 1. Zingari! Le mie nozze
9. Zingari~Part 1. Eccolo finalmente il sogno!
10. Zingari~Part 1. Chi ¿¿ nell¿¿¿ombra?
11. Zingari~Part 1. Addormentarmi, accarezzarmi
12. Zingari~Part 1. O solamente mia!
13. Zingari~Part 1. Disciogli i balenanti
14. Zingari~Part 1. La la la la!
15. Zingari~Part 1. Ora congiungi
16. Zingari~Part 1. Ah! Canto notturno
17. Zingari~Part 1. Tutta la vita mia ti doner¿¿
18. Zingari~Intermezzo
19. Zingari~Part 2. Presto! Ognuno rientri
20. Zingari~Part 2. Ho guidato al bivacco la trib¿¿
21. Zingari~Part 2. M¿¿¿attendevi? Fleana io t¿¿¿ho pensato
22. Zingari~Part 2. Rientra
23. Zingari~Part 2. No! Qualcuno s¿¿¿aggira
24. Zingari~Part 2. Tagliami! Abbruciami ma vi disprezzo
25. Zingari~Part 2. Ah! Perduto! Tutto!
26. Zingari~Part 2. Canto notturno
27. Zingari~Part 2. Radu? Dorme!
28. Zingari~Part 2. Bella! Bella! Sei qui tutta fremente!
29. Zingari~Part 2. Fleana! Ove sei?

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Carlo Rizzi   Primary Artist,Conductor
Arsen Soghomonyan   Primary Artist,Vocals
Krassimira Stoyanova   Primary Artist,Vocals
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Opera Rara Chorus   Choir/Chorus
Lukasz Golinski   Vocals
Stephen Gaertner   Vocals

Technical Credits

Ruggero Leoncavallo   Composer
Stephen Westrop   Repetiteur
Guglielmo Emanuel   Librettist
Alexander Pushkin   Text
Duncan Riddell   Leader
Steve Portnoi   Editing,Engineer
Pascal Bergerault   Liner Note Translation
Jeremy Hayes   Editing,Producer
Niall Gault   Assistant Engineer
Ian Schofield   Engraving
E. Cavacchioli   Librettist
Emanuela Guastella   Liner Note Translation
Ursula Wulfekamp   Liner Note Translation
Kevin Halliwell   Text Translation
Steven Maughan   Repetiteur
Aurelie Baujean   Production Director
Matteo Dalle Fratte   Language Coach
Ditlev Rindom   Liner Notes
Anne-Marie Sullivan   Production Assistant
Konstantin Trutovsky   Lithography
Simon Weir   Photography
Carlo Rizzi   Editing