Tancrède

I have always liked Rossini's music, and Tancredi is no exception particularly for the music. This production is mostly very good, but two things could've made it even better than it was. These two things were the picture quality, here it was rather grainy and washed out, and the sound quality, it was hard to hear sometimes.

Regardless of these flaws, the costumes are fine especially Tancredi's and the sets are effective. I particularly liked the staging of O Patria Di Tanta Palpiti(with its rather Beethovenian-like opening), with the dark stage slowly lighting up to reveal a watery/misty effect followed by the ship carrying Tancredi.

The music is wonderful throughout, and the story while not the strongest story for Rossini's operas is interesting. The orchestra perform the music stylishly and Ralf Weikert conducts with good understanding of what Rossini's music should be like.

Also impressive are the performances. Nicola Zaccaria, Dalmacio Gonzalez and Magali Damonte are solid in their roles, singing with good taste and style and nobody's too stiff either. But at the end of the day it is Katia Ricciarelli and Marilyn Horne who make this production work, Horne in particular is spellbinding, and part of me wished that Ricciarelli had done more Rossini after this.

Overall, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox