CVS044 - CD+DVD - Giulieta e Romeo/Zingarelli

Zingarelli - Giulieta e Romeo

N°44

€30

Who was not seized by the love of Romeo and Juliet? Napoleon, that great man of war, who was said to be bloodthirsty, was no exception. Franco Fagioli and Adèle Charvet reunite the formidable duet of the castrato Crescentini and the adored Grassini in this opera made by Zingarelli as a tribute to this unknown Bonaparte, protector of the arts and lover of Italian opera.More details

L'OPERA DE NAPOLEON
GIULIETTA E ROMEO

Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal
Stefan Plewniak, direction

Franco Fagioli, countertenor
Adèle Charvet, mezzo-soprano
Philippe Talbot, tenor

Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli (1752-1837)

Napoleon's enthusiasm for opera was extreme. This music-loving conqueror brought to him a young Italian star, the contralto Giuseppina Grassini, and the most dazzling castrato: Girolamo Crescentini, the only singer to ever move the Emperor to tears. Invited to France from 1806 to 1812, Crescentini made the glorious evenings of the Imperial Chapel at the Tuileries, in the company of Grassini, who was appointed First Cantress to his Majesty the Emperor - and his mistress. 143 concerts of Italian soloists at Court between 1810 and 1815 attest to Napoleon's musical passion for Italian opera!

Grassini and Crescentini's workhorse was Zingarelli's opera Giulietta e Romeo, first performed at La Scala in 1796, and then performed many times in Paris before Napoleon by his two favourite singers. "They arouse heroism in me" said Napoleon. This duo of Empire stars comes back to life with Franco Fagioli and Adèle Charvet, for a selection of the great numbers of this totally forgotten opera by Zingarelli, even though it was a triumph throughout Europe for three decades, thanks to a sumptuous Bel Canto: this is Napoleon's Opera!

Recorded at Château de Versailles from March 30th to April 3rd 2021.

Booklet in French/English/German - Duration: CD 79'50 - DVD: 1h28

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