The Jewels Of The Madonna: Intermezzi

Recorded 18 September 1947 at Abbey Road Studio 1, this recording contains only the intermezzi (acts 2 and 3) of Wolf-Ferrari's three-act comic opera; it is not part of a larger set as it may appear. The complete opera was first performed at the Kurfürstenoper in Berlin on 23 December 1911 under the title Der Schmuck der Madonna. That performance was in German, but now it is usually performed in Italian, as on this recording. Its controversial themes include love between a brother and his adopted sister, implied criticism of the Catholic Church, and an on-stage orgy. [Wikipedia]