Opera of the week: Francesca da Rimini December 15, 2006

I’ve never seen this 1914 Riccardo Zandonai opera live, although I remember a Met broadcast from the 1970s with Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo and Cornell Macneil.

This performance, yet again courtesy of Parterre Box, features Leyla Gencer in the title role and Renato Cioni as Paolo, from a 1961 performance. The libretto is based on a play by D’Annunzio from a section of Dante’s Inferno.

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Technorati tags: Riccardo Zandonai, Francesca da Rimini, Leyla Gencer, Renato Cioni