Many opera-goers assume that, because Donizetti stuck to the conventions of aria, cabaletta, duet and large ensemble, his operas are formulaic. Wrong. He was more alert to the dramatic possibilities of the stage than any of his Italian contemporaries, and Maria Padilla – the last of this year’s three Wexford operas – is a good example.

Big voice, bigger heart: Barbara Quintiliani

Much of the music is characterised by tonal instability, unusual harmonic colouring and daring treatment of melody, all reflecting Donizetti’s increasingly sophisticated handle on psychology – a handle Verdi was to grasp with Nabucco, premiered in the same year (1841), and developed over the following half-century. In Maria Padilla, a drama of compromised love, duty and honour, Donizetti still relies on stock-in-trade numbers, but they are no longer purely decorative. Two of the duets are among the most expressive music he wrote.

At least, that was the impression left by Wexford’s production, more polished and stylish than the two preceding it at this year’s festival. The tone was set by the conductor, David Agler, who kept a steady pulse in the ensembles, gave his singers room to breathe and underscored the sophistication of the orchestral parts, an overlooked aspect of Donizetti’s art. The other plus was that most of the cast were Italian: the marriage of text and musical line was a given. Marco Gandini’s staging looked well rehearsed. Mauro Tinti’s pseudo-conceptual decor may have been questionable, but it never obstructed the drama, and Silvia Aymonio’s modern-ish costumes had a handsome veneer.

The heart of any Donizetti performance lies in the singing, and here Wexford did well. Barbara Quintiliani’s Maria had a big voice, an even bigger heart and the sort of stage temperament that enabled her to tackle the big moments fearlessly: her ability to glide through Donizetti’s “spiked” vocal lines was as impressive as her exciting high notes. In the baritone role of Don Pedro, the cruel king who takes Maria to court but fails to make an honest woman of her, Marco Caria looked good but tended to bawl. Adriano Graziani’s battle-hardened tenor was just right for Don Ruiz, Maria’s proud father, and Ketevan Kemoklidze contributed a well-schooled Ines.