Composer: Rossini
Composition: Ricciardo e Zoraide
Performers: Pretty Yende, Juan Diego Flórez, Sergey Romanovsky, RAI Orchestra, Giacomo Sagripanti
Catalogue Number: C Major 752608 (2DVD)

Falling between the more distinguished Mosè in Egitto and Ermione, Ricciardo e Zoraide, which premiered in Naples in 1818, is a typically forgotten product of its composer and of its time. A Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival revival in 1990 revealed some pretty tunes, even if its banal plot weighs against it holding its own dramatically.

A slight romance, the plot revolves around the wicked Nubian King Agorante and his infatuation with the captured Zoraide....