WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING
ELEONORA BURATTO AND FREDDIE DE TOMMASO STAR IN
UMBERTO GIORDANO’S LOST OPERA
MARINA
OUT 31 JULY
Out today: single 1 – “Conobbi appena mia madre” https://freddiedetommaso.lnk.to/Conobbi
Decca Classics announces the world premiere recording of Marina, the long-lost debut opera by Umberto Giordano, to be released on 31 July. 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 consequence. A wounded enemy soldier is sheltered by Marina, an act of compassion that ignites passion, jealousy and ultimately tragedy.
Reviewing the premiere, The Times praised the opera’s ‘edge-of-your-seat drama’ and described Giordano’s musical language as ‘strikingly original’, adding that the score contained ‘passages no less thrilling than the best pages of Giordano’s oeuvre’.
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 composer 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.
Freddie De Tommaso reflects: “I was so happy and excited to have the opportunity to create a role in an opera from the Verismo period, and to sing it in the home of the verismo repertoire, Teatro del Verme. To add to the history of that building, premieres of Le Villi and Pagliacci to name a few, and now Marina! Furthermore, it was a true pleasure to make this recording with this top class team.”
Eleonora Buratto says: “Being the first soprano to give a voice to Marina was a unique and very special experience. Many works that I perform today were written in the 1800s, but premiered by other artists. To be able to perform a work from this period, yet be the first soprano to do so was an honor. With this recording, we are able to bring this heroine from the past to life for future generations to enjoy”.
Dominic Fyfe, A&R Director of Decca Classics, writes:“Decca has the most unrivalled catalogue of opera recordings of almost any label. For decades we were known as ‘The Opera Company’. It was an A&R dream to have the opportunity to make this world premiere recording and to hear a 138 year old opera come to life for the first time”.