DONIZETTI Maria Stuarda * Marcello Viotti, cond; Edita Gruberova (Maria Stuarda); Carmen Oprisanu (Elisabetta); Octavio Arévalo (Leicester); Duccio dal Monte (Talbot); Marcin Bronikowski (Lord Cecil); Michaela Lucas (Anna); Chorus & Orchestra of Munich Radio * NIGHTINGALE NC1 90209-2 (2 CDs: 123:13 &)
With the welcome reissue of the Tudor Queens set of Beverly Sills on DG (reviewed by Joel Kasow in 24:4), Maria Stuarda has been rescued from undeserved neglect. The slings and arrows of the recording market already removed Joan Sutherland's account (Decca/London, 1975), Edita Gruberova's first version (Philips, 1989) and, for that matter, Leyla Gencer's 1967 live recording from Florence (Myto) from our midst. Montserrat Caballé's 1971 live recording from Paris is still listed in the current Schwann; so is Janet Baker's unique Mary Stuart (Chandos, 1982). These are all distinguished interpretations, with the various divas surrounded by good ensembles and led by accomplished conductors. There are no indications of waning audience interest in the bel canto operas--the neglect lies with the record companies.
Fortunately, the Swiss Nightingale label has stepped in with a 1998 Munich studio account featuring the great local (Munich-Vienna-Zurich) favorite Edita Gruberova portraying the tragic Queen of Scots on records the second time around. (American impresarios seem not to have warmed to the gifts of this outstanding soprano from Bratislava.) I find it gratifying that at this stage of her career (she was born in 1946) Gruberova still commands a fabled technique, and her singing is rich in thoughtful and subtly inflected detail. She brings a true nostalgic yearning to Maria's first aria, "O nube che lieve per l'aria"; its cabaletta is brilliant, but, surprisingly, virtually unornamented in its second stanza. There is plenty of passion in the second-act confrontation with Queen Elizabeth, but no undue emphasis on the notorious "vil bastarda" outburst. Nor does she follow the bold examples of Sills and Sutherland (particularly the former) with extravagant ornamentations of the last verse in Maria's final aria. Hers may be an understated account by traditional bel canto standards, but Gruberova seems to act Stuarda's last moments with gentle dignity and exquisite piano tones.
The set comes with good notes but without any information on the cast. The Romanian mezzo Carmen Oprisanu appeared on the Met roster two seasons ago, but I recall no press accounts on her. She appears to be a cultivated artist with a fine technique, but projects little of the English queen's regal character or the haughty irony with which she treats Leicester in the first act. Octavio Arévalo is a pleasant-sounding and idiomatic tenor wise enough not to force his resources beyond their natural limit, yet somewhat wanting for the tonal sheen that the 1975 Pavarotti abundantly supplies in the Decca set. (Stuart Burrows on DG has been condescendingly treated by contemporary reviews; I find his contribution eminently noteworthy.) Conductor Viotti's pacing is incisive and unfailingly effective throughout.
It is reasonably well known that Donizetti's autograph scores for the opera's two "authentic" versions did not survive, and modern productions are usually based on the 1855 Paris edition published by Gérard. The more elaborate Overture Donizetti created for the 1835 production (for Malibran) is not included here, nor is it in the Sutherland set. You may hear it in the DG set, which also includes two brief passages Decca and Nightingale omit without any serious damage.
Maria Stuarda may not be the greatest among Donizetti's operas, but few of them have been so generously treated on records. If you own Sutherland, Caballé, or Sills, you may not need another Stuarda, but this Nightingale has a mighty pretty sound.
