Luigi & Federico Ricci: Crispino e la Comare (DVD), Dynamic, Music & Performance

A rare and very interesting work composed exactly in the middle of the 19th century, Crispino e la comare is one of the last examples of Italian traditional opera buffa. Composed by Neapoltan brothers Luigi and Federico Ricci, the opera quickly gained popularity in Italy but was also appreciated abroad, where it was performed, between 1854 and 1871, in Constantinople, Barcelona, Malta, London, Cádiz, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, New York, Warsaw, New Orleans, Mexico City, Liège, Brussels, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Santiago de Chile, Baden Baden, Berlin, Calcutta and Melbourne: virtually a planetary success. The protagonist's role is one of the great bass roles of 19th-century opera buffa, requiring an interpreter equally versed in acting and singing (as is this production's Domenico Colaianni). A production of Martina Franca Festival, Italy 2013, filmed in high definition and 16:9 aspect ratio with PCM 2.0 and 5.1.