Among the operas of the Italian verismo, the Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilea is one among the few that have survived. With its refined orchestration and dramatic use of voices, this Italian masterpiece is much closer to the contemporary European productions of Strauss and Debussy than to the feelings of the creative season between Rossini and Puccini. Its recording history is not rich, but the famous edition recorded by Decca in 1961 in Florence remains, after so many years, one of the landmarks of Adriana discography. It is dominated by the presence of Renata Tebaldi, one of the few big stars (the other was Magda Olivero) that kept constantly this role in her repertoire. We there fore publish a new edition, not only as a tribute to Tebaldi, but also because of the unavailability of the recording for several years.

Artists

Renata Tebaldi (Adriana Lecouvreur), Mario Del Monaco (Maurizio), Silvio Maionica (Principe di Bouillon), Giulietta Simionato (Principessa di Bouillon), Giulio Fioravanti (Michonnet), Giovanni Foiani (Quinault), Angelo Mercuriali (Poisson), Dora Carral (Mlle. Jouvenot), Fernanda Cadoni (Mlle. Dangeville), Franco Ricciardi (L'Abate di Chazeuil), Angelo Mercuriali (Un maggiordomo)

Santa Cecilia, Franco Capuana