L'ebreo

L'Ebreo (the Jew) was staged at La Fenice in Venice on the 23rd of January 1855; the result was triumphant and made the 33 year-old Apolloni immediately famous. The score, bought by Ricordi, started making the rounds right away and in a few years there was no Italian theatre which had not staged at least one edition. What did the public find in this opera? A kind of melodic idea, certainly not banal and often adequate and incisive, an insistent rhythm and a logical, feverish narrative movement. There was certainly a clear subjection to Verdi's expressive form; the score is entirely entrusted to the singing: the recitatives are short and the composer rarely makes use of declamatory or arioso parts. The present recording was staged and recorded at Teatro Chiabrera di Savona in October 1989.