La favorite (La Favorita) - Gaetano Donizetti
Information about the opera La favorite by Gaetano Donizetti, and the best recordings available on CD or DVD, or for download.
Considered the best of Donizetti's tragic operas, it was originally written in French but most recordings have been of the subsequent Italian version La Favorita.
Recommended recordings on CD
Viotti/Kasarova/Vargas (RCA 74321 66229-2)
A superb performance of the original French-language version of the score.
Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus, conducted by Marcello Viotti, 1999.
Cast: Vesselina Kasarova (Léonor), Ramón Vargas (Fernand), Anthony Michaels-Moore (Alphonse XI).
RCA 74321 66229-2