Tale of the unexpected

The Royal Opera’s new season began with a nice big surprise: Donizetti’s last opera, Dom Sébastien, roi de Portugal, written for Paris in 1843, shortly before his fatal syphilitic illness set in. Far from there being any traces of failing powers, it strikes me as the strongest serious opera he wrote, even though it has a ramshackle libretto by Scribe which means that it is one of those works whose plots are best unravelled after you’ve listened to it — the Royal Opera, as has become its habit, did its first opera in concert form only which, all things considered, was probably a good idea. A magnificent cast had been assembled, and Mark Elder had evidently imparted to them his devotion to the work, which he has been extensively advertising in newspaper and radio interviews in the past few weeks. Fortunately Opera Rara was recording it, and any opera lover who didn’t go should get the set when it appears, if only to have their view of Donizetti, whether favourable or negative, sharply adjusted.