In the not-so-distant past most 'serious' musicians thought Giordano beneath notice while opera-goers of a certain kind felt he was everything they stood for. He was passionate and melodious; he gave his singers something to sing, and, under the right circumstances, genuine thrills were to be had. He was also considered to be out of the common run: the aristocrat of verismo, with Chenier's 'Improvviso' as the thinking-man's 'Nessun dorma'.
This opinion was usually based on Andrea Chenier and (with slightly less conviction) Fedora. Otherwise a few excerpts from one or two lesser-known operas were gratefully heard but did not allay suspicions that a wider acquaintance might prove disheartening. Yet Siberia is sometimes named as Giordano's best, and at the time of writing is being prepared for an expectant public at Wexford. Meanwhile, these two sets from the Italian-based company, Dynamic, invites us all to think again. Only one of the three operas, Mesa Mariano, is announced as a premiere recording, but none can be called over-familiar, and for most listeners who take them together (as in the present review) they will constitute a milestone in their progress with this insufficiently explored composer. In brief: Mese Mariano may be nothing much, but Madame Sans-Gene deserves its revival, and Il re sounds very like a small masterpiece.
Its plot is a rather charming variant on the theme of the Emperor's clothes; it is also about a star-struck girl who learns sense and returns to home and boyfriend. The premiere at La Scala in 1929 failed to impress, though Toscanini conducted and Toti Dal Monte sang the leading role; apparently Giordano was almost found guilty of modernism. To us now, the score is elegantly lyrical and lively, modern in relation to Chenier as (say) Gianni Schicchi is in relation to Manon Lescaut; and, as far as its position in the body of his work is concerned, Gianni Schicchi might be a fair analogy.
Madame Sans-Gene is also a comedy. The story takes a serious turn in Act 3, which for a while seems about to topple over into tragedy. Napoleon, previously a figure in the background, appears in person and in a bad mood, but is charmed and shamed into a talk about old times with the genial heroine and all ends well. At first Madame Sans-Gene, so-called, seems to be one of those tireless life-and-soul-of-the-party people who can be so wearing, but she develops into less of a turn and more of a character, while her chirpy vocal line eventually settles for a more rewarding warmth and lyricism. She even has a kind of 'Improvviso' herself, a spirited solo in which instead of playing the gracious hostess to a lot of stuck-up women she tells them their fortune in no uncertain terms.
It is understandable that the role should be attractive to a star soprano who late in her career looks for something out of the way in which much is accomplished by personality. Mirella Freni's voice is still full-bodied and to a large extent pure in quality, but for many years now has forfeited the firm evenness of its prime. She gives a genuine performance - and (not far off her 64th birthday) a remarkable one. The best singing, however, is that of the tenor, Giorgio Merighi. Martinelli sang the role at the premiere in 1915, and something of that incisive tone and ardent address are recaptured here. Mauro Buda as Napoleon shows an almost tenorial baritone which it would be good to hear in a part with more opportunities. Maestro Ranzani conducts with spirit. As a recording this is a great deal more satisfactory than the currently available alternative, taken from an Italian radio transmission in 1957.
The heroine of the shorter operas is Patrizia Ciofi, who sings the coloratura-happy Rosalina in Il re and the purely lyrical mother, Carmela, in Mese Mariano: highly creditable in both. Mese Mariano (the month in question being May, traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary) tells of a sad young mother who visits the convent school hoping to see her son. It obviously suggests comparison with Suor Angelica which was written eight years later; and, though I described Giordano's opera, somewhat loosely, as 'nothing much', it is certainly more restrained and less exploitative than Puccini's. At the very least, it should not detract from its box-mate Il re, which is delightful. Giordano's stock rises.'