The latest releases reviewed

NINI: LA MARESCIALLA D'ANCRE Orchestra Filharmonica Marchigiana. Coro Lirico Marchigiano "Vincenzo Bellini" Conductor: Fabrizio Maria Carminati. Bongiovanni GB 2362/63-2 ****

Lovers of forgotten early 19th-century opera will find this issue a real discovery. Alessandro Nini, chapel master at Bergamo Cathedral for many years, was best known as a church music composer, although he did write seven operas. La Marescialla d'Ancre was first performed in Padua in 1839 to great acclaim and had considerable success in opera houses around Italy, particularly in Genoa. However, after some years it disappeared from the repertoire. These discs reveal a score of considerable originality for the period, especially for its use of harmony, in several ways anticipating the early Verdi. The bloodthirsty plot, set in 17th-century France, may have told against it, but the music is arresting and evocative. This worthwhile release captures a spirited performance of an underrated opera, which could be a suitable work for Wexford. www.bongiovanni.com

Colman Morrissey