This recording, made live at La Fenice in Venice, uses an edition based on that first performed at La Fenice in 1824, though it is slightly trimmed, no great violence is done to the score. On this disc the role of Armando is sung by the high counter-tenor Michael Maniaci. Unusually for a counter-tenor singing at this high pitch, Maniaci’s voice offers flexibility and depth; his top notes are entirely creditable. But he has a rather soft-grained voice which is quite feminine in timbre. Having a man playing the role on stage is probably a great advantage, but on disc Maniaci does not present the bright-edged brilliance which the castrato originally brought to the role.

Il crociato in Egitto does not have quite the grandeur and grandiosity of Meyerbeer’s French operas, but it is on a large and generous scale. The plot unfolds slowly with plenty of epic scenes. It may not be a master-piece, but listening to it you can understand why Meyerbeer was popular in Italy. He combines a respect and flair for traditional forms with a very Germanic feel for structure and polyphony.

The plot, as with Meyerbeer’s later operas, sets the conflict between love and personal duty against the backdrop of an historical conflict. The story concerns Armando, a Knight of Rhodes, who is living in Egypt pretending to be Egyptian. He is secretly married to Palmide (Patrizia Ciofi) who has converted to Christianity. Palmide is the daughter of Sultan Aladino (Marco Vinco). Things are made complicated when Armando’s former colleagues and fiancee appear: Adriano (Fernando Portari), Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, and Felicia (Laura Poverelli). The struggle plays out slowly over three acts until Aladino generously allows Adriano and Palmide to return to Provence, leaving poor faithful Felicia to fade out gracefully.

The advantage of this recording is that it is made live, and is sung by a predominantly Italian cast…Maniaci and Ciofi are appealing as the leading couple…Laura Polverelli as Felicia is richly contrasting, with her mezzo-soprano voice…Marco Vinco is strong with a richly grained bass voice, as Palmide’s father. As his counterpart, Fernando Portari displays a bright tenor as Adriano. These principals are well supported by Iorio Zennaro as Osmino, the Sultan’s Vizier, and Silvia Pasini as Alma.