Sara Perez

Based on an epic poem by Niccolò Forteguerri and set in the times of the Crusades, Ricciardo e Zoraide is a drama full of infatuations and jealousy, imprisonment and murderous plots, concluding with a gallant rescue and a benevolent outcome. The problems of such a complex and intense libretto were solved by Rossini through sheer dramatic skill, sophisticated melodic inventiveness, an emphasis on contrasts between dark and light, and the innovative and extensive use of on-stage musicians. This rarely heard opera is a true bel canto feast that reinvents the long tradition of chivalrous tales that still fascinate us today.

The comic-heroic romp Matilde di Shabran was Rossini’s last commission for the theatres of Rome, the city where he’d had great successes such as Il barbiere di Siviglia. Rossini took advantage of the agile, sparkling style of librettist Jacopo Ferretti to create a narrative in which the ferocious Corradino, a declared misogynist, is introduced to the resourceful Matilde, who succeeds in melting his iron heart and winning his love. This premiere recording revives the original 1821 Rome version, which was conducted at the last minute by Paganini, and caused brawling in the streets between Rossini’s admirers and detractors.

Danilo Perez' debut on Mack Ave Records is deeply anticipated by the critical community and while that level of near-academic excitement exists, it is vital to remember that this music is truly moving on visceral, physical and emotional planes. In a nutshell - and from the artist himself - Providencia crosses streams of jazz, classical and Latin American folk music, which Perez refers to as 'hearing music in three dimensions.' The title track itself is buoyed by pulsating Latin rhythms and an enticing vocalizes foray. While there is no doubt that talent and technique abound on this record - in Danilo's facile fingers and players - a great heart also resides in the compositions and performances.

Bellini's first opera is also the most complicated when it comes to reconstructing the composer's various versions and revisions of it. A major step forward came in 2001 when a series of hitherto unknown sources housed in the Fondo Mascarello in the library of the Milan College of Music allowed many previous gaps to be filled and a number of questions to be answered. Above all it enabled knowledge of Adelson e Salvini to be revised radically. In its sole authentic complete version, Adelson e Salvini is a French-style "opera semiseria" in which musical numbers are separate from spoken dialogue.
Adelson e Salvini is a surprisingly fresh in approsch and heralds the great things that would later come from its composer.