It was a bold move by the 21-year-old Umberto Giordano to enter the 1888 one-act opera competition won by Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Marina, set in Montenegro during an unspecified conflict with Serbia, came sixth, the score languishing until 2026, when it received its belated premiere at Milan’s Teatro dal Verme. This recording reveals a composer with a keen ear for musical colour even if the opera is no masterpiece.
When Marina, a Montenegrin, takes in Giorgio, a wounded Serb, the inevitable conflict with her brother and her bullish suitor precipitates a typical verismo catastrophe. After a militaristic opening, Marina takes centre stage with an aching ballad of lost opportunity. Her scene with the injured Giorgio follows abruptly, redeemed by Giordano’s knack for trotting out appealing melodies. It’s not the most sophisticated writing but it comes straight from the heart.
There’s a drinking song that sounds like a crib from Verdi’s Otello and a patriotic Montenegrin ditty which, alongside a brief aria for Giorgio, is the show’s hit. The scene between Marina and her brother is decently judged, even if the one-act format prevents the kind of character development a longer work would permit.
Eleonora Buratto is treasurable as Marina, her bright soprano thrilling at the top. As Giorgio, Freddie De Tommaso proves a classy verismo hero, his voice dark yet suitably Italianate. The Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali is supple and secure under the idiomatic baton of Vincenzo Milletarì.
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