by Nathan Southern
synopsis
Though lesser known than the Edmond Rostand play on which it is based, Franco Alfano's four-act 1936 opera Cyrano de Bergerac earned favorable notices for its musical rendering of the protuberant-nosed, larger-than-life title character, and his irreciprocal love for the beautiful Roxane. As mounted by the Palau de les arts Reina Sofía in 2007, this production stars the eminent tenor Plácido Domingo in the title role, Sondra Radvanovsky as Roxane, and Arturo Chacón Cruz as Christian, the young man through whom Cyrano attempts to woo Roxane. The Orchestra of the Comunitat Valenciana and The Chorus of the Generalitat Valenciana provide musical accompaniment, with Patrick Fournillier conducting.
