Credits:

Mark Elder, Dutch National Opera Chorus, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Devon Gassley, Maurizio Muralo

Description:

The young Berlioz's unprecedented slapstick comedy opera - the first with Japanese subtitles! Prodigal but skilled sculptor Cellini has a young lover, Teresa, with whom he is in love. However, a quarrel with his love rival Fieramosca, who is guilty of murder and kidnapping, has put him in a bad position. On top of that, the sculpture commissioned by the Pope has not been completed and he is in desperate need. Having been given one day's reprieve, Berlioz, who sympathized with the art and free-spirited lifestyle of Benvenuto Cellini, a real-life 16th century sculptor, at once completed his first opera on a grand scale. Berlioz is reported to have said in later years, "It is impossible to reproduce so many ideas with such vitality and vigor. This production of the comedy, which contains a variety of episodes, is a spectacle of romance, action, and comedy, thanks to Terry Gilliam's colorful and lively direction.John Osborne as the title role, Mariangela Sicilia singing the heroine, Teresa, and Laurent Naouri as Fieramosca bring the work to life with their excellent singing and skilled acting. Naxos Japan