Leoncavallo - Zazà

The Guardian 80

Jaho/Bardon/Massi/Gaertner/BBCSingers/BBCSO/Benini
(Opera Rara)

Opera Rara here makes a plea for Leoncavallo, composer of Pagliacci, to stop being considered a one-hit wonder. His Zazà joins Puccini’s Tosca, also premiered in 1900, in an operatic subgenre of Italian works whose heroines are themselves sopranos – one rank above the tart with a heart. In the concert last autumn, after which this studio recording was made, Ermonela Jaho gave a dazzling performance as Zazà, an initially flighty music hall singer. The slender story turns on her melodramatic, sugar-sprinkled meeting with her lover’s little daughter, after which she gives him up rather than break up the family. On disc Jaho is just as good, and Zazà’s character comes through vividly. A strong supporting cast includes Riccardo Massi as the dastardly tenor lover, Stephen Gaertner as the dependable ex and Patricia Bardon as the boozy mother. Maurizio Benini’s pacy conducting makes the BBCSO sound stylish and sumptuous.