Alfredo Catalani - Loreley (1993) / Альфредо Каталани - Лорелея (1993)

[@reltiet]

Thanks for posting this! I will be visiting a concertante performance of this rarely performed opera at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in a few weeks - really looking forward to it.

[@100voicebox]

This is a blast from my past ....I remember working with the great Ghena Dimitrova - what a glorious voice!! I also remember that sadly Maestro Masini died in the summer of 1993 - I think we performed this production in January/February of 1993 ... What a joy it was to work with these fine artists and wonderful colleagues ....I came to this production off a series of Rigoletto's, so I was lacking the vocal verismo style - this was filmed at the premier - but the vocal verismo style appeared by the second performance!! I worked with Giorgo Merighi more than a few times - a very fine tenor indeed, and a lovely man - at the time of writing here, I believe he is 80 years old ...I wish him nothing but joy and continued good health ....memories, memories, memories ....sadly Ghena and Gianfranco are no longer with us - what a loss - great artists indeed .......!!

[@nervousgentleman9123]

Thank you so much for commenting on the video, Mr. Rawnsley, and offering us your memories from this production. It is indeed an honor.

[@Tiffin59]

Yes. John Rawnsley is great in this as he was when I got to hear him with ENO North

[@ricardogallardo7467]

BELLISIMA MUSICA Y TODA LA OERA EN GENERAL, LASTIMA GRANDE QUE SE HAYA CASI BORRADO LA IMAGEN ES UNA PENA QUE NO SE DIFUNDA A ESTE GRAN COMPOSITOR GRACIAS POR MOSTRARLO

[@Tiffin59]

Thank you for posting this. It reminds us that we are in urgent need of a modern staging and studio recording. This opera is fantastical... Beyond verismo and much more refined... The young composer's style was still emerging, on its way to 'La Wally'... And then the tragic loss to tuberculosis. It's high time to explore Catalani's work more fully.

[@millofan1]

Thank you so much for posting this opera. I really enjoy it.

[@piergiorgiomei3648]

Buona esecuzione Dimitrova, Merighi, tempi d oro che non tornano piu

[@robertoramossempere7252]

El aria "Forze recondite" cantada por la Dimitrova es un fenómeno de la naturaleza... ¿Por qué hemos olvidado el verismo que levantaba pasiones en los aficionados? Quizás la ópera barroca merecía volver a los escenarios, pero no a costa de hacer desaparecer a todo un género que forma parte de la historia de la ópera con letras de oro. Contemos cuantos Giulio Cesare hay en las temporadas de los teatros del mundo y cuantas Loreley...

[@alexanuchid]

Another rare and great aria in tis wonderful , verismo(reality) Opera

[@angusmcrandy]

Setting: the banks of the Rhine in 1500 Act 1 Walter is betrothed to Anna of Rehberg, niece of the Margrave of Biberich. One May evening while wandering on the banks of the Rhine, Walter encounters the beautiful orphan Loreley and seduces her. He summons his friend Hermann and tells him that he is torn between "lawful and unlawful love". Although Hermann is himself in love with Anna, he counsels Walter to be true to his fiancée. When Walter next encounters Loreley, he tells her that although he loves her, he will marry Anna. He leaves Loreley who has fallen to the ground in a faint. Herman, lamenting that he has yielded his beloved Anna to such a man, appeals to the God of the Rhine and dedicates himself to avenging the wrong done to Anna. The Nymphs of the Rhine and the Spirits of the Air appear and sing in praise of the River God and the God Thor, the lord of the tempest. Loreley comes to them lamenting her lost honour and asking how she can avenge her wrongs. The nymphs and spirits tell her that she must make herself irresistible which will then torture the faithless Walter. When she asks how she can do this, they reply that she must call upon Alberich, the King of the Rhine, and swear to him the fidelity of a bride. She swears the oath, flings herself into the Rhine, and rises transfigured with the golden hair and the golden comb of the legendary Loreley. The curtain falls as she exclaims: "Walter, I have risen to avenge myself." Act 2 In the midst of preparations for Walter and Anna's wedding, Hermann warns Anna that she is about to give herself to a faithless man. Nevertheless, the wedding procession to the church begins. At this point the sky begins to glow with a mysterious light. Loreley appears and sings a love song to Walter. He casts Anna aside and rushes into the arms of Loreley crying "I am yours, be mine." Instead, Loreley flings herself into the river leaving Walter on his knees. As Anna falls lifeless to the ground, Loreley reappears on a rock in the river. Act 3 As the funeral of Anna takes place, the grief-stricken Walter falls into a faint on the shores of the river. When he awakes, he sees Loreley sitting on her rocky throne and hears her singing a love song to him. She is about to embrace him when menacing voices from the depths of the river remind her of her oath to Alberich. She tears herself away from Walter and returns to the rock. In a frenzy, Walter throws himself into the river and drowns as Loreley continues her song.

[@rafaelderosas3932]

El espectaculo es bueno,de categoria.Lastima la camara tan mal ubicada y utilizada.Tendria que haber estado frente al escenario y no a un costado del mismo....

[@philla7780]

Did anyone notice that Catalani quotes the Lovers motif from Wagner's Die Walkure at 54:48?

[@philla7780]

Or is it the Elsa-Ortrud duet in Act 2 of Lohengrin?

[@robin678]

When and when was this performed? Great, neglected opera. Why no cast list? But...surely that was a young Dimitrova? Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

[@milosaurus91]

You find at the beginning of the video the cast; sure it is Dimitrova; it was filmed in 1993 at Teatro Filarmonico in Verona.

[@fredrickroll06]

I agree very heartily with Tifflin59 - with the exception that I believe that Act 1 of "Loreley" is superior even to Act 3 of "La Wally" - Catalani's second-best operatic act - in that Act 1 of "Loreley" sustains an enormous curve of steadily mounting tension for almost 50 minutes! Act 3 of "La Wally" is much shorter.