Donizetti: Dom Sébastien, roi de Portugal

‘One of the most important Donizetti releases of recent years’ – George Hall, Opera Now

Few figures in European history fire the imagination more than Don Sebastian of Portugal. Romantic literature spun extravagant tales around him, and in 1843 he became the subject of Donizetti’s last-composed opera, a sombre five-act masterpiece given at the Paris Opéra. The sheer logistics of staging such a work have militated against its wide performance, but we are convinced that this new recording will trigger a new recognition of its value. Sung in French, the set includes at 220-page booklet with detailed article on the opera by Jeremy Commons and English libretto translation.