Album Notes

Michael William Balfe (1808 – 1870) wrote Falstaff for four of the great singers of his day Giulia Grisi (soprano), Luigi Lablache (bass), Giovanni Battista Rubini (tenor), and Antonia Tamburini (baritone). The premiere took place on Thursday July 19th, 1838 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London to a packed house with Balfe receiving several curtain-calls.

On Thursday 25th September 2008, Opera Ireland and RTÉ celebrated the bicentenary of the birth of Michael William Balfe by presenting the first performance of the composer’s comic bel canto opera Falstaff since its hugely successful première in London in 1838.

Critics praised unanimously praised the production with The Irish Times lauding the ensemble performances. Maestro Marco Zambelli showed a unique empathy with the music while The National Chamber Choir of Ireland provided a full-voiced chorus.

This live performance of Balfe’s Falstaff is now available on the RTÉ lyric fm label and is a must have for record collectors and lovers of opera everywhere.


MICHAEL W. BALFE (1808-1870) was born in Dublin in May 1808. His father was a dancing master and violinist who offered classes in Dublin and Wexford at various times of the year. His son Michael William studied music and the violin from an early age. When only a boy he performed as a soloist on the violin at various venues in Dublin. On the death of his father in 1823, he went to London to join the orchestra at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

In 1825, Balfe decided go to Italy for vocal training and musical study where he became a protégée of Rossini’s and later spent time there singing leading baritone roles. He also composed and produced three operas and met and married Lina Roser, a young soprano of Austrian parentage who was a fine singer and had in fact studied with one of Mozart’s sons. Balfe arrived back in London with his wife and young daughter, in the company of a group of Italian musicians, in May 1835.

His initial success took place some months later, with the premiere of The Siege of Rochelle in October 1835. Three years later Balfe was invited by the director of the Italian Opera to compose a new work for London. Four of his close friends, Giulia Grisi (soprano), Luigi Lablache (bass), Giovanni Battista Rubini (tenor), and Antonia Tamburini (baritone), were all in London for the season. The four great singers gave their commitment to sing in the Irish composer’s new work, thereby assuring Balfe of production. Three years earlier, the same singers were immortalized when they premiered Bellini’s, I Puritani at the Italian Opera in Paris.

Balfe immediately went to work. He met with S. Manfredo Maggioni, a London based librettist and translator. Maggioni had done translations of Rossini, Auber and Meyerbeer operas and later worked with Giuseppe Verdi on songs. They decided on an adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor for the libretto. From the time Balfe received the invitation he had less than eight weeks to complete the opera before the close of the season. Similar to Rossini and Donizetti he resorted to borrowing from one of his earlier Italian works in order to fill-in his Falstaff manuscript.

Given the complexity and the time allotted, Maggioni, must have been quite familiar with the play. He managed to condense it into two acts, with six scenes in the first act and five scenes in the second act. The premiere took place on Thursday July 19th1838 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London with a specially mounted production for the occasion. Balfe’s Falstaff played to a packed house with the composer receiving several curtain-calls. The music was quite sparkling. Difficult in terms of its florid style with runs and roulades that are typical of the bel-canto era, the opera was peppered with arias, and duets. Since the opera premiered at the end of the season however, there were only six performances. Afterwards, The Times music critic gave Balfe great praise for his efforts and unique venture, in an extensive full-column review.

Adapted from Basil Walsh’s CD booklet notes.