Pia De Tolomei, as far as Donizetti's operas go, is a better work than its reputation suggests. It is not Donizetti's best or even one of his best, nowhere near to me. However despite the storyline, which is very bait-and-switch and hard to follow at times, the music while not Donizetti's most inspired or refined(lacking the brilliance of Lucia Di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena and La Fille Du Regiment) is still beautiful, especially the music of Pia and Rodrigo's rousing cabaletta in the dungeon scene.
And this is a very interesting and wonderfully-sung production. Part of the Teatro La Fenice Opera Production, it is not as good as 2005's Daphne or 2004's Thais, but it is much more consistent than Les Pecheurs De Perles and Le Roi De Lahore, which are both worth a peek seeing as they are the only productions of their respective operas available on DVD, like Pia De Tolomei.
Not everybody is going to be completely enthused by the production, though I personally did. The productions are not untraditional as such, more the modern-minimalist kind. The costumes are sumptuous and true to period, and while a little vague authenticity-wise the geometrically-constructed sets are wonderfully evocative. Musically it is also great, with stylish orchestral playing and Paolo Arrivabeni's conducting shows deep respect to the score.
The chorus are also excellent, particularly the soldiers. They are not always consistently blended, but the strong singing and the vividity of the singing more than makes up for it.
Patrizia Ciofi is just superb. The more I see Ciofi, the more I respect her. Not only is her Pia powerfully sung with colouratura of great fluidity and embellishment delicacy, but very dramatically committed. The rest of the cast solidly support her, even with their music is not as showy as hers. Dario Schmunk is a suitably ardent Ghino, while Andrew Schroeder's Nello effectively conveys the drama and Laura Polverelli in the trouser role of Rodrigo is stylishly sung and well-characterised. Carlo Cigni I am looking forward to hearing more from, he has a magnificent voice of the rich and beautiful kind.
Overall, the opera is not one of Donizetti's finest but doesn't really deserve its neglect. This production is definitely worth seeing, seeing as the singing is so good. 8/10 Bethany Cox