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There has been a rather sudden resurgence of interest in Alfano's music the last couple of years, with (at least) three operas available (even in alternative performances), both symphonies and a smattering of songs and chamber music. But Alfano seems to deserve it, for both of the operas I have heard, Cyrano de Bergerac and Risurrezione, are, if not masterpieces, immensely worthwhile works with much outstanding music. Risurrezione is the earlier of the two, and compared to Cyrano, the scoring is lusher and richer and the verismo elements much more palpable - nor is there any elements of impressionism or neo-classicism in Risurrezione. In fact, the work was written when Alfano was 29, but is fully mature and impressively accomplished. It is based on Tolstoy and set in Russia, but is Italian through and through with little local color. But there's a welter of good musical and melodic ideas, though they are often not developed as fully as one would have hoped - there are, perhaps, no really memorable big tune, but there is enough detail and interesting turns and twists to keep the listener's attention and not lament the lack of such tunes overly. The scoring is superb and the writing for the voices sensitive and adept.
In fact, the vocal lines suites Magda Olivero almost perfectly, and she truly lives and breathes the role with some fabulous singing - it is sometimes delightfully over-emotional and over-the-top anguished and sentimental, and that is exactly how it should be in a work like this. Giuseppe Gismondo certainly has a big voice, but is variable - some parts are done with real power and feeling, others sound wobbly and off. The rest of the cast sounds fine, but due to the lack of tracking, indexing and a libretto I am frankly not entirely able to match names and characters to the various voices.
So Opera d'Oro offers no libretto, just a short, very general synopsis, and the listener will thus have only the faintest idea of what's going on. Maybe I should have cared more, but this is frankly the kind of opera where I don't find the absence of a text to be much of a detriment (I suspect the libretto isn't exactly top-notch anyway). Sound quality might be an issue for some - it is generally acceptably balanced, clear, but with barely enough perspective to realize much of the lush textures and orchestral detail. I found it relatively unproblematic but others might disagree (it is not quite in the league of their Cyrano issue, which has surprisingly good sound). Recommended, especially for Olivero's take on the main role.
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