Opera Now 2005

Complete with the obligatory ballet demanded by the French grand style this opera now invariably known under its Italian title of I Vespri Sililiana was specially commissioned for the Great Exhibition of Paris of 1855. It is now the common practice to adhere to the Italian libretto and to dispense with the lengthy ballet sequence of Act III. Such is the case with this 1986 production from Bologna under the baton of Riccardo Chailly. The performance is notable for the fine singing of both the chorus and the four leads.

First off, I must confess to having an incredible fondness for this score, and my love for it grows all the more each time I hear it. It is definite proof of Boito's genius, not only as the most literate of all Italian librettists but as a fine musician in his own right .This Capriccio set (sourced from Bulgaria) makes this set a standout , the overall excellence of all 3 principals; they are, as a group, the strongest of any set now available.

Roger Waters, the man who equated "education" with "thought control" in his pseudo-opera The Wall, is now back and appealing to higher culture in his new opera Ça Ira. Moreover, this is a real opera, with singers, a chorus, and an orchestra with not a single dreamy, overlong electric guitar solo in sight…