Why was and is Bellini's last opera "I puritani" performed so rarely? It doesn't seem to be due to the musical substance: the work is bursting with easily consumable, popular numbers. Bellini also knew how to fill the time between them with quality and taste. But no matter how easily "consumable" this opera seria may appear: It is particularly difficult to produce, at least in a form that makes it consumable. For the tasks that the "Swan of Catania" demands of his singers in this opera require not only the greatest artistry, but also a pleasant timbre, stamina and, of course, musicality. "Every opera requires that," one might say. Rightly so, because Siegfried or Canio undoubtedly also need these requisites. But how often do you hear singers in the latter roles who have stamina but not much else and still celebrate successes! In the "Puritani" such a thing doesn't work. You can sing "Pagliacci" with power, but the "Puritani" are like figure skating: Either you have the ability to place an elegant triple jump after another in a demanding compulsory program - or you land on your stomach.
Of course... that's just how they are, the rules of Bel Canto, as the Italian singing style in Bellini's time would later be called. It's no different in "La Sonnambula" or "La Cenerentola": endless runs, a fireworks of high notes, an untiring swelling and subsiding and shading and coloring, all cast in music of disarming elegance. But Bellini, so to speak, crowned the whole thing in his later works and added an ingredient that made the "Puritani" almost a mission impossible: a pinch of drama. Unfortunately, dramas always have a certain weight, and now the voices that sang them had to have exactly that. That it then became more and more difficult with the triple jumps is almost obvious. Bellini wanted an Olympic-ready figure skater with curves (also gladly called "expressive abilities"). But particularly fatal for the future of this opera was the fact that Bellini had provided the "Puritani" with not just one role of such caliber, but actually with two. Arturo, the tenor, for example, he gave a part that not only contains the highest note ever written for a tenor. It also contains as many other high notes as three or four Verdi operas put together. And that to a tenor, of whom there are, as is well known, not many anyway.
On the subject of Bel Canto and tenors, however, the following must be said: When Bellini, Meyerbeer and Rossini wrote these extremely many extremely high notes for their tenors, they sang their high register with the so-called "emissione falsa". The "falsa" comes from the French "fausset" and designates a voice that represents an intermediate register between chest and head voice. In other words: Everything beyond the high A was sung in a mixed voice or directly in the head voice. Modern listening habits don't allow such singing: Even the high notes must now be sung "full" - exactly like those of Caruso, who carried this style to every corner of the earth by means of the shellac record (the advocates of historically informed performances might occasionally think of that). But to sing so many high notes with the full voice is almost impossible.
Consequently, the field of possible candidates became increasingly thin, and the opera disappeared from the programs. When it was performed, it was only when at least one singer was good and prominent enough to carry the entire production.
Some of these are presented by our "Puritani" – and we have compiled the most beautiful moments for you in a playlist that you can listen to on Spotify. In the first part, we focus on the arias and duets that make this opera so special.
Cinta di fiori – Sir Giorgio, Act II
The music that Bellini wrote for Sir Giorgio is – at least for the author of this playlist – among the most beautiful in the entire opera. In addition to "Sorgea la notte" in the first act, the romanza "Cinta di fiori" from the second act stands out particularly: It goes straight to the ear and is of an almost disarming warmth and italianità. No one could write such a thing before Bellini and after him only Verdi ("Di provenza il mar"), if one has to make such comparisons at all.
Recording 1: Ezio Pinza (Studio 1924)
Whoever says "Cinta di fiori" must say Pinza (1892-1957). The Roman basso cantante was almost predestined for roles like this: the voice full of charisma, elegant, warm and flexible, the singing highly musical, the text treatment exemplary. Better than in this acoustic recording from 1924, this aria can hardly be sung.
Recording 2: Sesto Bruscantini (live 1963)
Sesto Bruscantini (1919-2003) sounded completely different from Ezio Pinza, who constantly switched back and forth between the baritone and bass repertoire. Bruscantini's velvety singing fits excellently to Sir Giorgio. But particularly striking is the artistic phrasing, the dynamic play and the intense expression.
Read on next week in Part 2!
