After its world premiere in London in 1858, Michael William Balfe’s opera Satanella was in the repertoire for over 60 years. After that, the piece disappeared. However, thanks to the efforts of Richard Bonynge, Satanella is now back in the spotlight. The eminent maestro leads the first-ever recording of the work
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Born in Dublin in 1808, Michael William Balfe played the violin in theatre orchestras when he was just a teenager. He also made a very successful career as an opera singer. For instance, he sang Figaro in Barbiere di Sevilla at the Théâtre des Italiens and performed with none other than Maria Malibran. And all the while, he was composing. His works include 29 operas and some 250 songs.
Satanella“/ Illustration zur Uraufführung/wiki
What a career, you might say. Yet… he is not really well known. Of all his works, only one has held repertoire: The Bohemian Girl. What’s to blame? At least not his music: it sounds like a ˜Donizetti light” peppered with a touch of Meyerbeer and salted with a drop of Rossini; but in English.
Satanella is a horror tale that reminds me vaguely of Mayerbeer’s Robert le Diable, only it is less scary. It has all the elements of the horror genre: power, money, jealousy, a card game, a loss and – how could it be otherwise – an innocent love that defeats even the dark forces from hell. Satanella even goes a step further: the title heroine, overcome by pure love, turns from a devil into an angel. This is how it can be done.
„Satanella“/ Bühnenbild zum 3. Akt/ Balfe Society
In the meantime, the innocent girl Lelia, partly due to the jealous Stella, is kidnapped by pirates, sold on the slave market and then freed again. In the process, all the women, Satanella included, fall in love with poor Count Rupert, who loses his fortune in a card game, and all the men fall for Lelia. Something that complicates the story quite a bit. But to reassure you right away: everything ends well.
The score is wonderfully simple and enjoyable, with lots of ballad-like arias, but also with many dark tones and timpani drumming accompanying the appearance of the devil Arimanes.
The cast is truly outstanding. Kang Wang is a wonderfully lyrical Rupert. His Rossinian timbre rivals the best in the business.
Catherina Carby convinces as the innocent Lelia and Sally Silver (Satanella) is a real discovery. Listen to her very emotionally sung ‘There’s a power’ (power of love) at the end of the first act: I bet you’ll fall hopelessly for her.
Richard Bonynge conducts as we have come to expect from him: with great passion.
Highly recommended.
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