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Fascinating music

Leo J. Wolansky | 12/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ildebrando Pizzetti, is one of the lesser known composers of the "Generation of the 1880's". The better known are Respighi, Alfano, Zandonai, and Montemezzi, with Respighi often considered the most important Italian composer of the 20th century (excluding Puccini who was already established by the end of the 1800's). Apparently the Ricordi publishing house was trying to recapture the pre-eminence of Italian opera and held a contest for a new style of Italian opera free of the influences of Wagner, Strauss, and Debussy. Fedra was Pizzetti's offer. The music is very original, being closer to Impressionism than anything else, but because it is based predominantly on the Phrygian mode it evokes an ancient, exotic mood. While lyricism is overflowing in the orchestral score, what might be lacking for many listeners are lyrical vocal melodies. In fact, the singing is essentially declamatory, with much of the singing consisting of more than five syllables on the same note.



That the score creates a mood of antiquity is most appropriate to its setting in mythological Greece, being the story of the Fedra, the queen Thebes, who falls in love with her stepson Ippolito with tragic consequences. The libretto is by Gabriele D'Annunzio, once considered to be one of the greatest writers (although he also went through a short phase being a dictator of his own independent state in Italy!)



The cast is good: Mercedes Fortunati as Fedra has a dramatic and sometimes sensual voice (although she intermittently fights back phlegm on this live recording). Ippolito, the stepson, is well sung by Aldo Bertocci. The rest of the cast: Anselmo Colzani as King Teseo (Theseus), Vittoria Palombini as Petra, Silvio Majonica as Eurito, Bruna Ronchini as the nurse, Silvana Brandonlini as the Theban slave girl, and Nicola Zaccaria as the pirate, are all solid. The orchestra performs well under the baton of Nino Sanzogno.



The sound quality is only fair being a live radio broadcast of 1955 but there are no better sound quality recordings to the best of my knowledge.



Pizzetti's best known opera "Assassinio Nella Catedrale", the story of Thomas Becket, was composed almost 50 years later but is similar in musical style. Another interesting opera is "Debora e Jaele". Pizzetti's music is very original and worth a hearing.

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