Gaetano Donizetti

GAETANO DONIZETTI LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT NATALIE DESSAY ∙ JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ FELICITY PALMER ∙ ALESSANDRO CORBELLI ORCHESTRA & CHORUS OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE CONDUCTED BY BRUNO CAMPANELLA

STAGED BY LAURENT PELLY GAETANO DONIZETTI “Laurent Pelly’s production of Donizetti’s La fille du regiment is so LA FILLE bewitching that’s it’s hard for those have seen it to imagine it being done any other way.” (The Independent) The stars are Juan Diego Flórez DU RÉGIMENT and Natalie Dessay, both unbeatable in bel canto roles, and both in top form here. Flórez’s mellifluous tenor is flexible enough to make Orchestra Orchestra & Chorus of the child’s play of the terrifying (to other tenors) nine high C’s in “Ah! Royal Opera House mes amis,” and supple enough to make his tender love arias moving. Conductor Bruno Campanella Dessay is equally comfortable in the stratospheric coloratura passages Stage Director Laurent Pelly and poignant in such heart-tugging set-pieces as her farewell to her regimental “fathers” and her misery as the victim of the Marquise’s Marie Natalie Dessay well-meaning attempts to teach her to be an aristocratic lady. She’s Tonio Juan Diego Flórez also a terrific comic actress. Lesser roles too, are done to perfection. La Marquise de Berkenfeld Felicity Palmer Felicity Palmer, a long-time Covent Garden favorite, is a delicious Sulpice Pingot Alessandro Corbelli Marquise de Berkenfield and Dawn French almost steals the show as Hortensius Donald Maxwell the overbearing Duchess. La Duchesse Dawn French “Dessayis such a natural clown, and it is wonderful to behold the way she used little bits of the coloratura to illustrate comic points. Video Director Robin Lough Bruno Campanella conducts the Royal Opera forces with a delicate understanding of all the requirements of Donizetti’s often exquisite instrumental detail.” (Gramophone) ”Dessay establishes her star Length: 131' quality from her very first entry. She is an unforgettably enchanting Shot in HDTV 1080/50i Marie, unlikely to be surpassed but of course Flórez also sings and acts Cat. no. A 020 50065 superbly” (The Penguin Guide) “It all makes you want to be in the stalls, seeing and breathing every moment” (The Times) A production of Royal Opera House Covent Garden “A truly outstanding night at Covent Garden!”  The Guardian

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