Composed for the Paris Opéra, the romantic but ultimately tragic narrative of Donizetti’s grand opera La Favorite is set amidst the Moorish invasions of Spain and the power struggles between religion and the state in the 14th century. The novice Fernand abandons his monastery having fallen in love with the noble Léonor, not knowing that she is the King’s mistress and favourite. Drawing on traditions established by Rossini and Meyerbeer, La Favorite is noted for Donizetti’s innovative use of the orchestra and for some of his most renowned and enthralling arias. This acclaimed production opened the 2022 Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo, and is performed with its original French libretto.

“The musical performance was in the capable hands of Riccardo Frizza, a bel canto specialist and musical director of the Donizetti Opera Festival. La favorite has enjoyed long years of success in its Italian version as La favorita, without the ballet and with several cuts. Here Frizza presented an integral rendition of the whole score in French, which is not often heard in modern times. We go tall the recitatives, all the repeats of the cabalettas – it was wonderful! The orchestra was impetuous and yet subtle, maintaining tension with an emotive reading of the score with mostly judicious tempi and great pathos.” – Backtrack.com

“… La favorite scored a full-blown success thanks to the mix of high-profile contributions, cast, orchestra, and chorus. But the heart of the production lies in the «ballet»: twenty minutes of beautiful music, fully immersed in the French romantic taste, but completely detached from the story - dramatic and very intense – that winds along the grand opéra with which Donizetti conquered Paris…” – L’Eco di Bergamo

Cast:
- Léonor de Guzman: Annalisa Stroppa (mezzo-soprano)
- Fernand: Javier Camarena (tenor)
- Alphonse XI: Florian Sempey (baritone)
- Balthazar: Evgeny Stavinsky (bass)
- Don Gaspar: Edoardo Milletti (tenor)
- Inès: Caterina Di Tonno (soprano)
- Un seigneur: Alessandro Barbaglia (tenor)

Director: Valentina Carrasco
Assistant director: Giulia Randazzo
Set designers: Carles Berga, Peter van Praet
Assistant set designer: Chiara La Ferlita
Costumes designer: Silvia Aymonino
Assistant costumes designer: Hannah Gelesz
Lights designer: Peter van Praet
Video director: Matteo Ricchetti

Recording place: Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo, Italy
Recording date: 15 & 18 November 2022
Sung in French

Video format / Aspect ratio: 16:9 1080/60
Audio format: PCM STEREO 2.0 / DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio
Region code: 0 – All regions
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Notes: Italian, English
Duration: 190 min. approx