LEONARDO BALADA (b. 1933)

 

Cristobal Colon (1984-86)

 

(Christopher Columbus)

 

Opera in Two Acts

Libretto by Antonio Gala

 

Cristobal Colon...... Jose Carreras

Queen Isabella...... Montserrat Caballe

Martin Alonso Pinzon...... Carlos Chausson

Padre Fray Antonio de Marchena...... Luis Alvarez

King Fernando...... Stefano Palatchi

Beatriz Enriquez...... Victoria Vergara

 

Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona / Theo Alcantara

 

Recoded September 1989

 

From one of the world’s great opera houses, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, comes Leonardo Balada’s richly melodic opera about one of the world’s great explorers, Christopher Columbus, commissioned by the Spanish government for the 5^th Centennial of the Discovery of America.

 

A superb cast, headed by Jose Carreras as Columbus and Montserrat Caballe as Queen Isabella of Spain, gained critical acclaim for their performances in what The Washington Times described as “A masterpiece… a landmark score in the lyric theatre of our time.”

 

Naxos 2cds 8660237-38