Color: Colour

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Spontini (1774-1851)

Description:

Spontini's little-known opera "Fernando Cortés". It was commissioned by Napoleon himself as a propaganda piece to support his invasion of Spain in 1808, and was first performed in his presence in 1809. At the time of its premiere, the work was well received for its spectacular setting with brilliant music and elegant ballet, but with the fall of Napoleon, it was doomed to oblivion. This video is a recording of the revival of the 1809 premiere version at the 2019 Florence May Festival. Cecilia Rigoglio's production is an ambitious attempt to simultaneously portray the two sides of Cortés, the glorious "Conqueror" and the brutal "Invader," through the recollections of Morales, Cortés' loyal general. The orchestration, which has had a profound influence on Berlioz and Wagner, is gorgeous and romantic, the singing is full of tension, and the dance is full of wildness. The French opera specialist Jean-Luc Tangot, who performed "Carmen" at the New National Opera in 2018, has put together a superb performance. Naxos Japan