Although not a famous or prominent opera in Donizetti's overall oeuvre, Imelda de Lambertazzi is an important work in terms of his overall development both as a composer and as a dramatist. It is one of a group of operas, beginning in 1826 with the composition of Gabriella di Vergy, which he composed exploring violent and romantic themes, grand tragic actions, and intense human suffering. Donizetti wrote at one point in his career that what he wanted in his romantic libretti was "love, violent love, without which these subjects are cold." He wanted the very extremes of human emotions to be laid bare on the stage through music and subject matter. The story of Imelda is a simple Romeo and Juliet type of plot. But Donizetti imbues it with new romantic meaning and nuance by giving the romantic leads to the baritone and mezzo-soprano voices. The hero, Bonifacio, is one of several romantic baritone roles composed by Donizetti in his career. He was able to explore the expressive capacities of the lower registers in such operas as Il Furioso and Imelda. The crowd scenes are scenes of dark violence, in which the fury of the warring houses growls as a manacing undercurrent, then boils over in outright rage. For the first time in romantic opera, the two lovers die on-stage, violent and tragic deaths. The villains in the story, Imelda's father and brother, are both cast as tenors, and it is they who are responsible for the deaths of Imelda and Bonifacio.
The libretto to this tragic work was by the author Andrea Leone Tottola. In general, Tottola wrote much better comedies than tragedies, and his verses are none too exciting. In addition, the Neapolitan censors of the time were very suspicious of any romantic or violent subjects, and they decimated whatever was worthwhile in the libretto to begin with. The premiere of Imelda took place on September 5, 1830, at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The cast was rather weak, and the opera wasn't a big success, but the score is highly expressive, and prefigures the type of writing which Donizetti would do in his next opera, Anna Bolena. ~ Rita Laurance, All Music Guide
