Gian Carlo Menotti was sent by his mother from Italy to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and achieved nearly immediate success following his schooling: when he was just twenty-two, 'Amelia Goes to the Ball' was performed at the Metropolitan Opera. 'The Consul' followed several years (and operas) later, and was greeted with critical acclaim, both for its musical and dramatic strengths, but for its topical nature. The story of a young family yearning for freedom from oppression had great resonance in 1950.
Menotti writes both words and music for most of his operas, resulting in an extraordinarily well-suited marriage of words and music. His sense for setting the English language--particularly for a non-native speaker--is finely tuned, and his vocal lines are always sensitive to both the notes and the words, rather than the music dragging the text along.
This recording of 'The Consul' comes from a production produced and directed by Menotti at the Spoleto Festival in 1998. The presence of the composer and the keen musical and dramatic aspects of the conductor and performers make this an excellent set.