Wolf-Ferrari is famous for his operatic works in which he invented a new idiom by transplanting 18th-century Venetian culture into the 20th century. But almost all of the composer’s orchestral music dates from his final years and occupies a different expressive realm. The Suite veneziana resonates with melancholy, and the Triptychon is a contemplative, passionate masterpiece of orchestration. Subtle use of counterpoint transforms the Divertimento into a playful exploration of themes, while Arabesken pays tribute to an old friend, the Venetian painter Ettore Tito (1859–1941). His own elegantly simple melody, known as ‘Tito’s theme’, is turned by Wolf-Ferrari into a sequence of sumptuous orchestral variations culminating in a powerful fugue.

With his early theatrical successes, Wolf-Ferrari brought a transparency of sound and a sense of lightness and charm to the realm of Italian opera. Alongside these qualities came a renewal of opera buffa, of which he proved to be a master – exemplified in the overtures and excerpts heard here. The comic energy and vibrancy of Il segreto di Susanna, the melodic beauty of Il campiello and the sweeping lustre of I gioielli della Madonna show how Wolf-Ferrari reinvigorated the genre through his incomparable passion and expression. Austrian conductor Friedrich Haider and the Oviedo Filarmonía have recorded admired Wolf-Ferrari albums for Naxos – see Talitha Kumi! on 8.573716: ‘The melodic inspiration is consistent, and the performances by the Coro El León de Oro under Friedrich Haider vividly convey the texts and moods’ (Fanfare).

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s The Jewels of the Madonna was a spectacular success in its day, yet after a triumphant world tour it gathered dust until its 1953 Italian premiere, since when it has received but a handful of performances, culminating in May 2015 with this highly acclaimed revival at the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava. Combining Italian lyricism with the dramatic realism of verismo and colourful folk-music, The Jewels brings mystical atmosphere and sublimely detailed musical effects to its highly suspenseful plot, delivering powerful choruses, seductive love songs, saucy serenades and orgiastic dances.