TV Standard: NTSC
Color: Colour

Credits:

Beethoven

Description:

A man named Pietro works in the Dutch port town of Saardam. He is actually the Czar of Russia, and Pietro Freeman, another ship's carpenter, is actually an exile; the two are great friends. Freeman is in love with Marietta, the daughter of Mayor Wambet, but is unable to confide in her. Wambet, who has been instructed by the authorities to "watch out for a man named Pietro," spots Freeman, who is acting suspiciously... You may have heard this synopsis somewhere before. The original of this work is "The Mayor of Saardam" by J. Melville, J. Merle and de Boüard, but it was Lortzing, born in 1801, who translated the same story into German and made it into an opera. His masterpiece "The Russian Czar and the Shipbuilder" is his masterpiece. Donizetti's work was first performed in 1827, and was revived in Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin, and Budapest in 1839. However, since its revival in 1973 in Saardam, the city associated with the work, it has been performed frequently.This performance is based on a newly compiled and comparatively revised version, and is directed by internationally known film director Davide Ferrario. While the plot is thrilling, the singers are comical. The role of the mayor's son-in-law is played by Aya Wakizono, a mezzo-soprano of note. Naxos Japan