Bianca e Falliero may be signposted as a Romeo-and-Juliet plot moved to Venice and granted a happy ending, with a score stylistically located somewhere between Il barbiere di Siviglia and Lucia di Lammermoor. Written in 1819, premiered with mixed success at La Scala, it survived on the boards for a dozen years or so, was relegated to the history books in the 1840s and resurfaced at Pesaro in 1986. The cast then was headed by Katia Ricciarelli, Marilyn Horne and Chris Merritt, the conductor Donato Renzetti and a first recording was issued on Fonit-Cetra (9/94).

The present recording may be regarded as a successor to that, its rival now being the version on Opera Rara under David Parry with Majella Cullagh and Jennifer Larmore as the lovers. That is still where my preference lies, though this new Pesaro recording, like its predecessor, has its own distinction and adds the excitement of an enthusiastically received live performance.

The opera itself is highly enjoyable as long as one is prepared to take it on its own terms, as a Good Night Out rather than an Immortal Masterpiece. That is, it offers a good story with strong emotional confrontations, guarantees melody and rhythmic energy, skilful orchestration and opportunities for a feast of fine singing. For modern listeners the perky tunes, with cheeky woodwind for commentary, don’t assort well with serious drama; nor can the naive musical figures (such as the first bars of the opening Sinfonia) sustain their good-natured initial reception when they recur. There are moments when the music gains depth to match the tragic potential of onstage developments (the trio in Act 1, the duet ‘Cadde il fellon’ in Act 2, the urgent allegro ‘Tu non sei’ and the acclaimed quartet ‘Ciel, il mio labbro’ are notable examples). But more representative are the pleasures of form (expectations fulfilled), energy and voice.

‘Voice’ includes technique (hopeless, however beautiful the voice, to attempt this opera without it). The vocal writing requires the highest degree of virtuosity in the protagonists and something not far short in the tenor who plays Contareno, Bianca’s troublesome father. Here, Daniela Barcellona, in the trousers-role of Falliero, is in great form and clearly the audience’s favourite. Hers is a full-bodied voice and she moderates it well in consideration of her partner in duet, the lighter-voiced María Bayo, at her best in the more tender and delicate passages. A problem arises with Contareno, whose voice cannnot afford to be as unpleasant as his character. Francesco Meli has a hard, penetrative tone, not easy on the ear, however accomplished in production.

Their counterparts in the Opera Rara recording compare well, with Larmore a more convincingly masculine Falliero, Cullagh warmer in tone as Bianca, and Barry Banks very much more listenable as the father. The bass, who might have been cast in that role, is in fact the rival suitor, and Opera Rara’s Ildebrando d’Arcangelo is much more firm and fresh of voice than Pesaro’s Carlo Lepore. The chorus is excellent in both but I think what tips the balance of choice for me is the more refined orchestral playing and the more satisfying recorded sound of the Opera Rara. To compensate, this new version very effectively draws in the home listener to share the excitement of the live event.