Maria de Rudenz

A sinister sense of doom pervades Maria de Rudenz from beginning to end. Nearly all of it is in minor keys, (associated with pain, sadness, fear and tragedy), tremolos in the strings and diminished sevenths (indicating nervousness and twists in the plot) occur on several occasions and the dark, gloom-laden orchestration featuring cellos, bassoons, horns, trombones and timpani is intended to raise anxiety. Yet there are also standard march rhythms, jubilant choruses, wedding hymns and festive dances. The score follows a pattern similar to Donizetti's other works in the opera seria genre: sentiments are expressed with a cavatina or a cabaletta and duets taken at breakneck speed contrast with grandiose concertato numbers with melody lines even catchier than in the composer's other works, perhaps in an unconscious effort to offset the shocking subject matter. Performed by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Bergamo Music Festival along with an exceptional cast of soloists, this production is one of the finer Maria de Rudenz albums on the market.