Recording of Mercadante’s Il proscritto receives high praise

Set in Edinburgh against the backdrop of Oliver Cromwell’s rule, Il proscritto saw a marked return to melody by Mercadante who retained the harmonic experiments and orchestral richness of his “reform” operas but restored aspects of bel canto lyricism. Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas (as Giorgio Argyll) sings opposite young Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas, winner of 2021 Operalia competition, as his rival Arturo Murray. Their mutual love interest is Malvina Douglas played by American mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts. The cast is completed by Elizabeth DeShong, Sally Matthews, Goderdzi Janelidze, Susana Gaspar, Niall Anderson and Alessandro Fisher.

“Mercadante is no faithful follower of fashion, as Carlo Rizzi, who rediscovered the opera in the Naples Conservatory archives, demonstrates in a vivid performance… Peruvian tenor Ivan Ayon-Rivas is at the top of his game. As is Irene Robert’s Malvina with lush tone and real heartache in the remarkable finale to the last act, where the composer let his three principals rule the stage. As the metaphorical curtain falls Malvina is dead, but Rizzi and Opera Rara have indeed brought her opera back to life.”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE – 5 stars

“Opera Rara’s indefatigable work has truly helped in the restoration of Mercadante’s reputation… Rizzi leads with a firm yet sensitive hand and his cast is excellent. Warring tenors Ramón Vargas and Iván Ayón-Rivas are well-contrasted, the former darker-toned, the former darker-toned, the latter brighter. The object of their affections is the soft-grained mezzo Irene Roberts, contrasting with the brighter thrust of Elizabeth DeShong’s voice – she sings the travesti role (and slays the big number). As ever, orchestra and chorus are top notch, and Opera Rara’s presentation both information and stylish.”
OPERA NOW – 4 stars

“The key performer is conductor Carlo Rizzi, who heats up the drama, and probably the fine Britten Sinfonia, to boiling point… Il proscritto deserves its rediscovery.”
FINANCIAL TIMES – 4 stars

“Opera Rara’s disinterring of forgotten works continues with this uneven gem by Saverio Mercadante, unheard for nearly two centuries but lifted from the Naples Conservatory archives by Carlo Rizzi, who conducts with pace and conviction… Malvina, an unusually complex heroine [is] beautifully sung here by Irene Roberts, her mellow mezzo-soprano drawing the ear… with another mezzo as her loyal brother Odoardo, a role with virtuoso passages that Elizabeth DeShong dispatches impressively.”
THE GUARDIAN – 4 stars

“A good connoisseur of this repertoire, the Italian conductor [Carlo Rizzi] knows how, with as much science as taste, to give a constant dynamic to this intrigue… The characters are excellently highlighted, and the scenes follow one another with an intensity that does not weaken. The recording benefits from a team of singers who are often very similar in tone color, which results in remarkable duets between Giorgio and Arturo, or Malvina and Odoardo. The Mexican Ramon Vargas embodies the first with intact vocal dignity and ardor, after forty years of career. Facing him, as Arturo, the Peruvian Ivan Ayon-Rivas, winner of the “Operalia” Competition in 2021, is a revelation. In his loose, inventive, light-bearing song, we recognize the influence of his masters, Juan Diego Florez and Luigi Alva. The American Irene Roberts lets Malvina’s own energy and turmoil shine through perfectly, drawing an endearing portrait of her. As for her compatriot Elizabeth DeShong, she lends Odoardo a refined tone, with beautiful copper colors. His air “Ahi! del giorno sanguinoso”… is one of the highlights of the disc.”
OPÉRA MAGAZINE – Diamond Rating

“Irene Roberts endows the courted Malvina with elegance and cool detachment, which in turn stands in pleasant contrast to Elizabeth DeShong’s powerful bravura singing. Between the arias, the Opera Rara Chorus really heats up the eerie romantic story; the supporting roles are cast just as carefully as the main parts. The Opera Rara label once again proves that Saverio Mercadante is much more than a musicological footnote.”
OPER MAGAZIN – Disc of the month

“Lots to enjoy both vocally and orchestrally on the world premiere recording of this shamelessly melodramatic 1842 opera about political and romantic conflicts in Cromwellian Scotland, not least the rare opportunity to hear two tenors and two mezzos going head-to-head in a couple of rip-roaring duets. Ramón Vargas spars thrillingly with impressive newcomer Iván Ayón-Rivas in their big Act II face-off, whilst DeShong and Roberts are beautifully contrasted as the Douglas siblings – and Rizzi conducts like he believes in every bar.”
PRESTO MUSIC

“With their new release, Opera Rara delivers a near-perfect rendition of “Il Proscritto.” Carlo Rizzi, at the helm of the orchestral forces of Britten Sinfonia, conducts with verve and dramatic intuition, yet also with a keen sense for the score’s more descriptive passages…”
OPERA WIRE

“Rizzi by and large makes a strong case for it, conducting with care and considerable verve throughout, and, with the Britten Sinfonia on fine form, places due emphasis on Mercadante’s striking orchestration, all oily clarinets, melancholy horns and churning strings. As Giorgio, Ramón Vargas, mature-sounding and slightly gritty in tone, broods, obsesses and threatens magnificently, while Iván Ayón-Rivas’s Arturo in contrast is altogether more youthful and elegant in his bewilderment, despair and passion. Their big confrontation is spectacularly good, as is Elizabeth DeShong in Odoardo’s aria, thrillingly sung and admirably secure over a massive vocal range.”
GRAMOPHONE