MARINA World Premiere Recording to be Released With Eleonora Buratto and Freddie De Tommaso
Eleonora Buratto and Freddie De Tommaso star alongside Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, conducted by Vincenzo Milletarì.
Decca Classics will releaase the world premiere recording of Marina, the long-lost debut opera by Umberto Giordano, on July 31, 2026. The production stars Eleonora Buratto and Freddie De Tommaso in the main roles, with Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano and the Coro della Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli, conducted by Vincenzo Milletarì.
The recording follows the opera's first-ever performances in February 2026 at Teatro Dal Verme, marking a historic moment for a work that remained unheard for almost 140 years. Set against the backdrop of conflict between Montenegro and Serbia, Marina tells a story of love, loyalty, and fatal consequences. A wounded enemy soldier is sheltered by Marina, an act of compassion that ignites passion, jealousy, and ultimately tragedy.
For De Tommaso, this recording marks a rare and defining moment. Known for his acclaimed performances in the Italian repertoire, he now creates the role of Giorgio for the very first time, stepping into music that had never previously been heard on stage or recording. Alongside him, acclaimed Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto stars in the title role, bringing to life a heroine described by The Times as “the archetypal woman of verismo operas”, shaped by “violent passion, jealousy, vendetta and family drama”. One of today's foremost Italian sopranos, Buratto has appeared at many of the world's leading opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, and Teatro alla Scala. Internationally acclaimed for her interpretations of Verdi and Puccini heroines, she has been praised by OperaWire as “a prima donna of extraordinary elegance, nobility, and interpretive intelligence”.
Composed in 1888 while Giordano was still a student, Marina was written for the Sonzogno competition, which would soon launch Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and help define the verismo movement. Although the opera received only an honourable mention, its quality immediately attracted the attention of the publisher Sonzogno and led to Giordano's first major commission, beginning the path that would later see him compose operas including Andrea Chénier.
Long believed lost, the autograph score survived in manuscript form and remained unheard for almost 140 years before being rediscovered by musicologist Andreas Gies in the Koch Collection at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Gies subsequently prepared the new critical edition used for both the performances and this recording.
Giordano was born in Puglia and later died in Milan, where Marina has now finally returned to the stage. Reflecting those roots, this landmark recording brings together artists closely connected to the composer, including Freddie De Tommaso, whose family originates from Puglia, and conductor Vincenzo Milletarì, who is also from the region.
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