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I due Foscari was Verdi's sixth opera and based on Lord Byron's play The Two Foscari. Rich in intrigue, the plot tells of the final days of the famous Venetian doge, Francesco Foscari, and his illegal overthrow in 1457. To celebrate Giuseppe Verdi's bicentenary in 2013, C Major is proud to present the truly unique project, TUTTO VERDI: All 26 operas released on DVD and Blu-ray, together with his immortal Requiem and special documentary.



CAST:
Francesco Foscari – Leo Nucci
Jacopo Foscari – Roberto de Biasio
Lucrezia Contarini – Tatiana Serjan
Jacopo Loredano – Roberto Tagliavini
Barbarigo – Gregory Bonfatti
Pisana – Marcella Polidori
Fante – Mauro Buffoli
Servo del Doge – Alessandro Bianchini


Parma Teatro Regio Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Matino Faggiani)
Donato Renzetti, conductor

Joseph Franconi Lee, stage director
William Orlandi, set and costume designer
Valerio Alfieri, lighting designer
Marta Ferri, choreographer

Bonus:
- Introduction to I due Foscari

REVIEW:
Mark Pullinger, International Record Review

[Leo] Nucci returns as the despairing Doge and is on stonking form, stealing the show shamelessly, especially in his act 3 aria 'Queste dunque è l'iniqua mercede', which is fantastically dispatched, and his death scene. Renzetti is... in charge of the pit and he and his cast make as good a case for the opera as the only other production I've seen, August Everding's for the Royal Opera.

Bob Rose, FANFARE

In Fanfare 33:1 I reviewed a CD recording of this opera. In that review I quoted Henry Fogel who, in a review of this opera, said: “Repeated rehearings have persuaded me that it stands near the top of Verdi’s early operas, deserving of much more attention that it has received.” I certainly agree with Fogel. There is an earlier DVD recording, from La Scala, which was reviewed by Raymond Tuttle in Fanfare 28:4. Tuttle likes Renato Bruson’s performance as the Doge, but dislikes the rest of the cast. In my review of the earlier recording mentioned above I wrote “Renato Bruson, who was something of a specialist in this role is a fine Francesco.”

The source of this opera is Byron’s play, The Two Foscari . In it the Doge is simply a figurehead because Venice is then ruled by The Council of Ten. The Doge’s son, Jacopo, who has returned to Venice is falsely accused of murder, and is sentenced to return to Crete without his wife and children. Jacopo dies when he boards the ship, and the Doge dies when he is forced to abdicate.

The star of this recording is Leo Nucci and his final scene is excellent. Roberto De Biasio has a fine tenor voice and is a first-rate Jacopo Foscari, Tatiana Serjan is a vocally strong Lucrezia. Roberto Tagliavini is a competent Loredano. The rest of the singers are all quite acceptable. The staging is traditional and the picture quality is fine. There is a 10-minute bonus feature which serves as an introduction to the opera. The booklet contains a listing of the bands, notes by Anselm Gerhard, and a synopsis by Eva Reisinger translated into English by Stewart Spencer. This recording is superior to the earlier DVD Opus Arte release so it is recommended to all Verdi lovers.

Works on This Recording
1.
I due Foscari by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer: Alessandro Bianchini (Bass), Roberto De Biasio (Tenor), Tatiana Serjan (Soprano), Gregory Bonfatti (Tenor), Roberto Tagliavini (Bass), Mauro Buffoli (Tenor), Marcella Polidori (Soprano)
Conductor: Donato Renzetti
Orchestra/Ensemble: Parma Teatro Regio Orchestra, Parma Teatro Regio Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Italy


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