Verdi: Alzira;

Love, jealousy, vengeance, and forgiveness are the core emotions in this, the eighth of Verdi's 28 operas. Alzira is based on a play by Voltaire. What it lacks in fully developed, rounded characters and extended arias, it makes up in swift, sharply focused dramatic power. Some crudities of Verdi's early style are still present, but so is ample evidence of the composer's maturity: orchestral subtleties, glowing lyric moments, and, in the spacious buildup of the finale, a mastery that weaves together complex emotional and musical strands.

In the title role as the Inca princess pursued by the Spanish governor of Peru, Marina Mescheriakova is first-rate. She hones her big voice down to a whisper and also lets loose for the full-voiced, gorgeously phrased moments. Ramon Vargas is as effective, sounding like a young Domingo at times, his light lyric tenor expanding to fit the more muscular role of the rebel leader Zamoro, the heroine's true love. As the bad guy whose change of heart animates the theme of Christian forgiveness, Paulo Gavanelli displays a lean, bright baritone. He's equally effective in the character's obsessive deliriums and in his tender, dying turnaround. Fabio Luisi conducts stylishly, driving the drama along and drawing true Verdian phrasing from singers and orchestra. Even Verdi's lesser-known operas are worth hearing, and this worthy performance convinces that Alzira's neglect has been undeserved. --Dan Davis