Gaetano Donizetti
's
L'aio nell'imbarazzo
, also known as
L'ajo nell-imbarazzo
, of 1824 is hardly a familiar work, even in its later revision as
Don Gregorio
. There are a few recordings on small Italian labels, but this live recording from 2022, with some fine veteran Italian singers, may be the preferred version.
means "The Tutor in a Jam," and the plot is pure comic opera, with a nobleman who decrees that his two sons must avoid romance until they are 40. They of course ignore this; one already has a child, and the other is boinking the maid, Leonarda. The production from which this was taken, at the Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo, transplanted the action to the future, with reputedly questionable results, and it didn't really need the transplantation; audiences in 1824 loved the tale that mocked the dying old order, giving the composer one of his first big hits, and the fully realized female characters proved immensely appealing.
Donizetti
met his task with crackling, up-to-the-minute music that broke up the recitative-aria alternation in ways both inventive and natural. The secco recitatives, where they do occur, are backed with an appealing naturalness by
Hana Lee
on a fortepiano. The cast, led by the 70-year-old
Alessandro Corbelli
as the Marquis Giulio, is excellent, and the energy of conductor
Vincenzo Milletarì
propels the action forward. A must for lovers of bel canto opera, this is an enjoyable find for anyone. ~ James Manheim