Orchestre national d'Île-de-France / Enrique Mazzola - Belcanto Amore Mio

A conductor of note whose star is definitely in the ascendant, Enrique Mazzola’s passion for opera finds perfect form in this outstanding collection of operatic overtures, played with true mastery by the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France (ONDIF). Under the leadership of Mazzola, ONDIF’s director of music and chief conductor, each of the eight exquisite pieces – a textbook selection of well-known and less well-known Italian Bel Canto opera overtures – has been carefully considered; a perfect amalgamation of stellar musical performance and creative synergy between a conductor and his orchestra.

The CD features works by Bellini, Donizetti, Mercadante, Meyerbeer, and Rossini, including the overtures to Capuletti e Montecchi, Don Pasquale, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Recorded at the ONDIF’s studios under the care of noted French recording engineer Mireille Faure, the album is notable for its outstanding sound quality. This sound quality, combined with the exceptional musicianship of the ONDIF, and the deft touch of conductor Enrique Mazzola, makes Bel Canto Amore Mio a delight to savour.

Enrique Mazzola, conductor

Born in Spain to an Italian musical family, Enrique Mazzola studied conducting and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. A dynamic and greatly sought-after bel canto interpreter, Mazzola is also a specialist in the music of both the classical and romantic eras, and has been the musical director of the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France since 2012.

Mazzola’s recent operatic engagements include Opernhaus Zuirch (Don Pasquale), The Metropolitan Opera (L'Elisir d'Amore) Glyndebourne Festival (L’elisir d’amore, Don Pasquale, Poliuto), Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (L’italiana in Algeri), New National Theatre Tokyo (Don Giovanni), Opera du Rhin (Macbeth, La cenerentola), Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Don Pasquale, Tancredi), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Vasco da Gama. Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Falstaff, Le Vaisseau fantôme and Dinorah), Bolshoi Thetre (La Sonnambula), and Teatro alla Scala (Don Pasquale).

Plans include Glynedbourne Festival 2016 (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Bregenz Festival 2016 (Donizetti - Requiem) and Lyric Opera Of Chicago (Lucia di Lamermoor).

Orchestre national d'Île-de-France

The Orchestre national d'Île-de-France was founded in 1974. With 95 permanent musicians, the orchestra performs up to 100 concerts each season, providing residents in the greater Paris area with a wide range of programs spanning three centuries of music.

The orchestra has gained a reputation for innovation, and has commissioned some 100 contemporary works. It regularly stages its Île de découvertes festival and champions young composers with its Île de creations competitions. As of January 2015, the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France was a partner orchestra of the new Philharmonie de Paris.

Ouvertures d'opéra

01 I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Vincenzo Bellini 04:48 

02 Don Pasquale, Gaetano Donizetti 06:25 

03 Roberto Devereux, Gaetano Donizetti 06:50 

04 Ugo, Conte di Parigi, Gaetano Donizetti 08:01 

05 Margherita d'Anjou, Giacomo Meyerbeer 06:16 

06 Emma d’Antiochia, Saverio Mercadante 07:16 

07 Tancredi, Gioacchino Rossini 05:57 

08 Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Gioacchino Rossini 06:55 

Total timing: 57'26