A tour of the ducal palace is more or less obligatory for anyone visiting Venice for the first time. In the Hall of the Great Council you will find portraits – mostly imaginary – of the first 76 Doges. But one portrait is missing. In its place is a black veil, on which is written ‘Hic est locus Marini Faletri decapitati pro criminibus’. Marino Faliero was executed in 1355 for attempting – in a fiercely republican city – to appoint himself Prince. The Venetians have evidently never forgiven him; but his surname – Falier, in dialect – has, intriguingly, been adopted for the aristocratic father-in-law of Commissario Brunetti in the novels of Donna Leon.

Byron wrote Marino Faliero in 1820 – his other Venetian drama formed the basis of Verdi’s I due Foscari – but Donizetti’s opera is based on a tragedy by Casimir Delavigne written in the same year. It was first performed at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris in March 1835, a few weeks after the premiere of Bellini’s I puritani. The soloists included the so-called Puritani quartet: Giulia Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini and Lablache. The opera was well received; in his booklet-note, David Patmore cites Bellini’s ungenerous comments. Marino Faliero was staged all over Europe and reached New York in 1843 but it was not seen in modern times until its revival in Bergamo in 1966.

And it’s from Bergamo that this live recording comes. It is, frankly, pretty rough-and-ready: a performance that you’d be glad to catch on holiday but one which doesn’t really pass muster for repeated listening. The story is a dark one. The Doge’s much-loved nephew, Fernando, is killed in a duel. Faliero and his supporters swear revenge but it all goes wrong; and, while awaiting execution, the Doge learns that Fernando was having an affair with Elena, his wife. After raging, he forgives her and goes to his death. Giorgio Surian sings in forthright fashion but his voice sounds worn and it’s impossible to overlook the wobble. The other soloists are adequate at best. The set is certainly worth buying in order to get to know the opera; but let’s hope Opera Rara tackles it before long.