Mascagni: Iris
Sheet Music

SKU: NX.AB20039

By Alessandra Rossi, Carmine Monaco d'Ambrosia, Coro Ars Lyrica, Didier Pieri, Hiroki Ihara, Manrico Signorini, Orchestra Filarmonica Pucciniana, Paoletta Marrocu, and Paolo Antognetti. By Pietro Mascagni. DVD/Blu-ray. Listening CD. Bongiovanni #AB20039. Published by Bongiovanni (NX.AB20039).

Conducted by Daniele Agiman.

Following the runaway success of Cavalleria rusticana in 1890 at the age of 27, Mascagni did not rest on his laurels. In just a few years, he completed no less than five operas, including Iris, premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1898. Mascagni might well have taken for his own Puccini's famous quip, Against everything and everyone, make a work from melody. And in Iris it is melodic invention which shows the composer's genius at its greatest. A melody by Mascagni is usually long, smooth and Italian-sounding; and Iris is full-on melody all the way, particularly in such crowd-pleasers as Jor's Serenade, the Hymn of the Sun or the duet in Act II Oh come al tuo sottile corpo s'aggira, which includes the famous Piovra. Furtheremore, with a little effort listeners can identify what would be the various musical numbers. In Iris, Mascagni is almost obsessively attentive to recitative and his exemplary flexibility at times recalls the sublime conversation style invented by Puccini. The present production was recorded live at the Teatro Goldoni, Livorno, in December of 2017.

About Listening CDs

Listening CDs are traditional music recordings. Listening CDs make a great educational supplement - hear exceptional professionals play the music you're learning! Or, just enjoy listening to the music you love.