GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848): Le Duc d'Albe (compl. Giorgio Battistelli [b.1953]).

Description: Donizetti began work on this opera, whose libretto was also the source for Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes in 1839 but, for various reasons, all outlined in the notes, he never finished it and it was later completed by Matteo Salvi with Ponchielli, Cesare Dominicetti (1821-1888) and Bazzini and premiered in 1882. Since it was hard to tell where Donizetti left off and Salvi et al. went on, the director of the Flemish opera commissioned Italian composer Battistelli to do his own completion (only the first two acts of four exist complete in Donizetti's hand). Here there's no mistaking what is Donizetti and what was written in 2008, all of it tonal but definitely not early 19th century. World Premiere Recording. 2 CDs. Libretto and translation available on-line. Georges Petean (baritone), Ismael Jordi (tenor), Rachel harnisch (soprano), Vladimir Baykov (bass), Chorus and Orchestra of the Flemish Opera Antwerp/Ghent; Paolo Carignani.