Vincenzo Bellini: Il Pirata
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Liceu Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Antonino Fogliani, conductor
CAST: Mariella Devia (Imogene); Gregory Kunde (Gualtiero); Vladimir Stoyanov (Ernesto); Vicenc Esteve (Itulbo); Fernando Radó (Goffredo); Elena Copons (Adele)
Regarded by many as the first truly Romantic Italian opera, Il Pirata was also Bellini's first indisputable hit, beginning a career that soon saw him threatening Rossini as Italy's most popular opera composer.