Delos Diary

In this era of blockbuster movies and cinema epics which appear one weekend and vanish the next, we are not often concerned with objective historical truth when we go to the theatre.
This also holds true in opera where librettos are not noted for historical accuracy even when they're dealing with well documented facts.
A new release on Delos, Anton Arensky's Raffaello (De 3319), a one-act opera about the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, is a good example of a fanciful libretto giving a 19th century gloss to the true story of Raphael's love life.

In the opera, Raphael is consumed by love for his beautiful model, the baker's daughter La Fornarina; uses her as a model for paintings of the Madonna in spite of the fact that she is his mistress; refuses to dismiss her even after the condemnation of the powerful Cardinal Bibbiena; and, by the sheer beauty of his paintings, wins over the Cardinal and the populace of Rome. And then they all live happily ever after!
The music is beautiful, the performance definitive with mezzo-soprano Marina Domashenko singing the trouser role of Raphael in luscious voice, but the true story is a little different. La Fornarina was indeed a real person and one of Raphael's favorite models and mistresses, but there were many others. In fact, Raphael's early death at the age of 37 was attributed largely to overwork and excessive sexual activity. Although he had a loyal following of students, apprentices and assistants to help him execute the flood of commissions for paintings and frescoes for popes, cardinals and noblemen, Raphael was constantly swamped by work and play. Just like a celebrity today! In other words, the real Raphael was almost an earlier version of Don Giovanni— with talent.
Arensky's lovable work ignores this aspect of Raphael's life, but wins one over with its highly romantic solos, duets and choruses. Marina Domashenko's beautiful Raffaello has Russian soprano Tatiana Pavlovskaya as her Fornarina, Alexander Vinogradov as the disapproving Cardinal Bibbiena, and Vsevolod Grivnov as a street singer. Constantine Orbelian leads the Philharmonia of Russia and the Spiritual Revival Choir of Russia through the lush romantic score with unerring taste and sensitivity.
If you want beautiful music about a fictional Raphael, don't miss the Arensky. If you'd also like to see the brilliant paintings of an occasionally sex-besotted painter, pick up an art book and look up Raphael's frescoes for the Villa Farnesina.