Ugo, conte di Parigi is widely regarded as
Gaetano Donizetti's most obscure opera, having closed after only four performances in 1832. Its first modern revival was not given until a concert performance held in London in 1977, on which occasion it was recorded and issued as the first in Opera Rara's survey of
Donizetti's complete operatic output, garnering considerable acclaim. In more recent times the Italian label Dynamic has instituted its own
Donizetti series and has now gotten around to Ugo, conte di Parigi. For its recording, Dynamic has utilized a live performance from Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo held in October 2003 and featuring exciting young Romanian soprano Doina Dimitriu.
The overture to Ugo, conte di Parigi is an extraordinary piece of music for its era, the slow opening singling out several instruments in a sort of mini-symphonie concertante and assigning to them melodies of a folk-like character. Oddly, this overture has been no more frequently recorded than the opera itself. The orchestral performance under
Antonino Fogliani is a little scrappy in spots, but overall has a lot of character. At first, the chorus sounds a little distant in relation to the band, but this condition improves. Bass Dejan Vatchkov is fabulous in the role of Folco; he possesses a genuinely strong and energized voice but clearly has it well under control. As in a fair number of live opera recordings, sometimes the cast gets a little uncoordinated with the orchestra. Dimitriu was sick this evening but sang through it; there was really only one spot in this performance where one can tell this is a factor -- otherwise she is great.
Dynamic's Ugo, conte di Parigi is nicely recorded and has a well-written summary in four languages, though the libretto is only in Italian-English. Of
Donizetti's little-known operas, Ugo, conte di Parigi truly is among of the most musically rewarding and worthwhile of revival. The Opera Rara set has more star power and occupies a more exalted place in the history of recording subcutaneous Italian operas. Nevertheless, the newer recording from Dynamic has better sound, and seems a bit more idiomatic in its style of performance.