A stylish performance, and one which does much better for itself on film than it would merely in sound. There’s good taste at work in all aspects of the production, and this delightful opera needs tasteful handling so that no brashness coarsens the comedy or spoils the lyrical charm. Here, all the stage-people know their business, making best use of their resources and reliable in supplying some pleasure for the eye. Gérard Korsten conducts with feeling for rhythm, texture and the singing line, though perhaps he’s a little rigid in rejecting some traditional features such as tenuti leading into the patter of the famous duet in Act 3. The chorus numbers are particularly good, and all the ensemble-work is so well rehearsed that you might assume it was all happening of its own accord.

A weakness – perhaps the only serious one – is the quality of the solo voices. All four singers are nominally well-suited (the right voice-types and of plausible appearance), and Alessandro Corbelli’s Pasquale is by now almost a classic of the modern operatic stage. But Eva Mei, accomplished in much, is too often infirm and uneven in a straightforward melodic line; Antonio Siragusa, bright-toned, free of the throat and brilliant on top, produces with a rather uningratiating uncovered and unvibrant tone; while Roberto di Candia, the Malatesta, has virtually everything the part calls for except the warmth of tone which can make something beguiling out of his ‘Bella siccome un angelo’ solo. Still, there is plenty to enjoy – including (vocally) a beautifully turned performance of the notturno duet, with Siragusa softening magically. A confident recommendation.