Vincenzo Bellini’s Il Pirata Full Studio Recording
“Rejoice as one of my parents and relatives; your Nephew has had the fortune of making such an event with his opera, that he cannot express it, neither it, nor all my friends, nor I could flatter myself with such an outcome. …the curtain falls and the applause starts; and then the stage calling me out, I presented myself and received the general satisfaction of one cultured public, which, after me, called out also all the singers.”
Excerpt from Vincenzo Bellini’s letter to his uncle Vincenzo Ferlito, on the public’s reaction at the opening night of Il Pirata, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on October 27th, 1827.
This relatively rarely performed opera stands out in the bel canto repertoire for its original musical resources applied by a young but undeniably genius Bellini, who was pushing the limits of the musical traditions of his time. Particularly original is the chorus of the Pirates with the echo effect: this genial page drew a clamorous success and was defined by a critic at La Scala “…a masterpiece of musical science”. A mature Rossini told Bellini in a brief meeting they had in August 1829: “I have known in your operas that you begin where others have ended.”
This new studio recording of the opera in its uncut version includes all the repetitions, original cadenzas and variations written by the singers, as well as the rarely performed finaletto.
At Prima Classic, it is our aim to present to the public this masterpiece of composition, beauty, and of incredible technical demands on the soloists, performed by some of the most prominent singers of today.
With Javier Camarena, Marina Rebeka, and Franco Vassallo performing the leading roles, this album was recorded at Bellini’s homeland, Catania, with the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini, under the baton of Fabrizio Maria Carminati.
PRESS & REVIEWS
THE ARTISTS
CREDITS
Prima Classic PRIMA010 – UPC 850000325203 Release date: September 24, 2021
Conductor – Fabrizio Maria Carminati
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania
Gualtiero (Il Pirata) – Javier Camarena
Imogene – Marina Rebeka
Ernesto – Franco Vassallo
Goffredo – Antonio Di Matteo
Itulbo – Gustavo De Gennaro
Adele – Sonia Fortunato
Produced by Anete Toča and Marina Rebeka
Executive Producers: Edgardo Vertanessian and Marina Rebeka
Recording, Editing, Mixing, and Mastering: Edgardo Vertanessian
Recording Assistant: Nicolás Gleria
Recorded at the Teatro Sangiorgi, Catania, Italy, in August and September 2020. This is not a recording from a live performance
Artwork design: Tatyana Vlasova and Andrew Vlasov
Booklet design: Carlos Céster
Prima Classic would like to thank Opera Rara and Mr. Jeremy Commons for allowing us to use Mr. Commons’ English translation of the libretto.
The full bi-lingual libretto is only available on the CD version of the album.
Photo Credits
Cover photo of Javier Camarena: Javier Camarena
Javier Camarena: Paco Amate
Marina Rebeka: Tatyana Vlasova
Franco Vassallo: Alberto Terrile
Antonio Di Matteo: Francesco Squeglia
Gustavo De Gennaro: Flavio Castañeda
Sonia Fortunato: Sonia Fortunato
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini: Giacomo Orlando