Beginning in 1830, Vincenzo Bellini embarked on a project to compose an Ernani, but he never got to complete it. Very few fragments remain, and we present them here, with the Oltenia Phil.Orchestra under Franco Piva. The cast is as follows:

Ernani        Patricia Morandini (a travesti role written for Giuditta Pasta)

Elvira          Rosanna Savoia

Don Carlo   (a tenor in this version)   Paolo Pellegrini

Don Sancio   (also a tenor)     Patrizio Saudelli

Ines               Nina Batatunashvili  (mezzo)

       I hope you enjoy this rare set of excerpts.          (37 min.)

  Claudia Novikova was born on Mar.9 ,1895. This has to be one of the most charming (and funny) renditions of ANYTHING!!!!!  La Perichole "drunk aria."