There were – and there still are – at least two good reasons to give a warm welcome to this Edgar, recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in 2006: it was the very first studio recording of the work (the only two others I knew of at the time were recorded live) and it was the first time Placido Domingo sung this role; the only one still missing from his Puccini discography.

I have never been able to understand why this opera was so unloved. Granted, it is not Puccini’s best work, but that is mainly down to the libretto. Musically, the opera is an extension of Verdi, but one can already hear snatches of the ‘real’ Puccini: a vague promise of Manon Lescaut, a study for La Bohème, finger exercises for Turandot.

It is the only Puccini opera with a major role for a mezzo- soprano, a voice type Puccini obvoiusly did not normally use for his female protagonists, who, with him, were never really either thoroughly good or truly bad women.

Tigrana and Fidelia (note the names!) are each-other’s opposites. In their battle for the tenor there cannot actually be a winner: Edgar leaves Tigrana who then promptly stabs Fidelia to death.

With Adriana Damato (Fidelia) and Marianne Cornetti (Tigrana) we welcomed a new generation of phenomenal female singers and Domingo is, as always, very musical and committed to his role

Edgar with José Cura and Amarilli Nizza.
Recorded live in Torino 2018