Opera Japonica/Archives/Letters from Milan 2001

Silvia Luraghi's Letters from Milan 2001

January

The Teatro Regio in Parma (see below)

As Maestro Muti has pointed out several times, 2001 is not only Verdi year, but also the bicentennial of Bellini's birth. Consequently La Scala staged a new production of Sonnambula, featuring Natalie Dessay in the role of Amina, Juan Diego Florez as Elvino, and Michele Pertusi as Count Rodolfo.

The main interest of the production was of course the Italian debut of Dessay in an Italian opera (she had already appeared at La Scala in 1995 as Olympia in Hoffmann, the role which first won her international fame). Dessay has already sung Sonnambula in Lausanne and Bordeaux, but was well aware of the challenge of tackling the role at La Scala: asked in a public interview if she was afraid of facing the 'loggione', Dessay answered that she had thought about it, and was willing to take her risk. At the opening (January 14) she sounded very self-confident; her high register in particular lived up to general expectations. The middle register sounded a little shrill, but on the whole she gave a convincing interpretation of Amina and passed the test of the loggione with honors. As her jealous partner, Florez mastered very well all requirements of the role - his voice sounded very fresh and his youthful looks were particularly appropriate. Pertusi gave an idiomatic interpretation of the Count, and all other principals were at ease in their roles.

Unfortunately, such a good vocal cast was not matched adequately by either the conductor or the stage director. The former, Maurizio Benini, conducted with extremely slow tempi, especially annoying in the parts which involved the chorus. The production, too, was very static. The staging highlighted the naïve side of the story, but the stage director, Pier'Alli, apparently had no special ideas for the acting of the singers and the performance ended up being rather dull from the visual point of view. In the end there was plenty of applause for the singers, enthusiastic in the case of Dessay and Florez, and some boos for the production and especially for the conductor.

While the other theaters in Lombardy have closed their season before Christmas (operas are usually only scheduled in the autumn), a very interesting production of Benjamin Britten's Let's make an opera was staged at the Teatro Fraschini, in collaboration with the schools of Pavia. Already in the past season, the theater had started a programme for children, which eventually resulted in the creation of two children's choruses, who toured Lombardy in the As.Li.Co. production of 'Boheme' last September (see October letter). Preparing for the Britten production was quite an enterprise, especially on the side of Giuseppe Guglielminotti Valletta, who prepared the chorus and chose the children who were to sing as soloists. The result was worth the effort: the children sang and acted in a very natural way, thanks also to the stage director, Marina Bianchi, and were well supported by the professional singers who played the adult roles. Britten's work, labeled 'an entertainment for children', is divided into three parts: in an acted prologue, the children at a birthday party are told the moving story of a little chimney sweep, happened in the same room a century before, and decide to make an opera about it. A second part follows,consisting of some illustrations of the actual making of the opera; the third part shows the actual staging of the opera.

Britten intended to get active involvement from the public, which is asked to sing the choruses. Obviously, the composer thought of an audience much more familiar with music and singing than one can expect from the rather reluctant Italian public: so Guglieminotti had the idea of preparing a children chorus, who rehearsed the songs together with the public during the intermission, thus getting most of the people to actually sing during the second part of the performance. As a result both children and adults had fun while learning something new about music: an objective that should be more frequently aimed for in opera houses.

The third title in the season of the Teatro Region in Turin was the rare Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas, in the production of the Théatre du Capitole,seen in Toulouse in the spring of 2000. 'Hamlet', first performed in Paris in 1868, has become less and less popular with time, and has had very few revivals in the second part of the Twentieth century. Thomas' music is hard to define (Debussy used to say that there are three types of music:beautiful, ugly, and by Thomas); in addition, 'Hamlet' is particularly demanding for the soprano, who has to master various difficult arias and duets, before tackling a big coloratura piece (the mad scene). In Turin, Annick Massis sang the role of Ophélie, with too small a voice though technically correct; she tried her best and was able to give a touching interpretation of Hamlet's unhappy girlfriend; unfortunately her vocal limits were made evident and even magnified by the poor acoustics of the theater. On the other hand Ludovic Tézier in the title role was a perfect Hamlet; he portrayed the Danish prince with the necessary mixture of boldness and weakness, and sang with lush voice, sounding at ease in all registers. Nadine Denize, who sang the role of the queen, was vocally adequate, but sometimes uncertain of intonation; among the other principals Jörg Schneider was the most interesting. The orchestra of the Teatro Regio played well under the baton of Emmanuel Joel; the production, directed by Nicolas Joel with very beautiful scenery by Ezio Frigerio, served the music well and succeeded in keeping the attention level of the audience high. The opera was performed with a rather broad cut, resulting in the elimination of the ballet; the finale was the original one written by Thomas, in which Hamlet is crowned king of Denmark.

January 27 was the anniversary of Verdi's death, so numerous companies throughout the world performed Verdi's Requiem to honor the composer. Among the various executions that took place in Italy, two were most significant: one conducted by Riccardo Muti with the orchestra of La Scala in the church of San Marco (Milan), where Verdi's funeral took place a century ago, and the other conducted by Valery Gergiev with the National Orchestra of the Italian Radio in the cathedral of Parma (the latter was repeated on January 30 at the Auditorium del Lingotto in Turin, in which the Orchestra has its regular season). Muti and Gergiev are very different conductors, both for their way of approaching music, and for the repertoire they are most at home with, so the possibility of comparing the two executions looked like an interesting treat. In the church of San Marco,Muti addressed the audience before starting the Requiem and asked for a reflective silence at the end; the Requiem was then performed in an intense atmosphere, and after the end the people left without applauding. Muti conducted with great concentration and deep participation, as if really officiating at a mass. The vocal cast included Barbara Frittoli, Violeta Urmana, Ramon Vargas, and Ferruccio Furlanetto. All singers participated in the concentrated atmosphere created by Muti and were on the whole up to audience expectations: a moving commemoration, very appropriate for the place in which it was organized.

In Parma Gergiev conducted in a completely different setting. The Parma Requiem had been chosen as the official event of the day, not without complaints from the side of other institutions. It was pointed out that Verdi had little to do with Parma, given the fact that he was born in Busseto and lived and worked in Milan: consequently, the choice of telecasting the Parma Requiem, which was attended by the Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, raised protest both at La Scala (the San Marco Requiem only had a radio broadcast) and in Busseto, where a new production of Aida premiered on the same night. The vocal cast included Alessandra Marc, Larissa Diadkova (replaced in Turin by Marianna Tarasova), Vincenzo La Scola, and Roberto Scandiuzzi. All singers gave their best; unfortunately, Alessandra Marc proved to have limited homogeneity between registers, with very audible problems especially in the low register (some notes were almost spoken). The execution was tense and fiery, sometimes with rather arbitrary choices of tempo: but though achieved in a different way, the participation of the public was as deep and complete as in Milan. The orchestra sounded at its best and the Mariinsky chorus gave an excellent contribution. At the end conductor and singers were cheered by a long ovation both in Parma and in Turin.

The Teatro Regio in Parma is one of the most famous opera houses in the world, especially on account of its tradition and of the legendary fame of its public, especially hard on singers. Built by the architect Nicola Bettòli, it opened in 1829 with Vincenzo Bellini's Zaira. The interior was completely renovated in 1853 and its present capacity is of about 1,400 people. The Parma public is particularly keen on Verdi: local color includes the existence of the renowned 'Club dei 27', a club with 27 members only, each of whom bears the name of one of Verdi's operas (new members are accepted only after the death of one of the old ones; there is a long waiting list and it can take decades to become a member).

This year the season is almost entirely devoted to Verdi: after opening the celebrations with the Requiem, the first title was a production of Un ballo in maschera from the Mariinsky Theater. On the night of the opening (January 31) expectations had risen to an exaggerated extent, with the result that there was a lot of nervousness, which certainly did not help the singers. In spite of this, everybody performed and eventually made it to the end. The singer who suffered most for the atmosphere was the tenor, Ivan Momirov, a young Bulgarian who looked and sounded extremely nervous at the beginning of the first act and then again after the intermission; he has a nice lyric voice and a good breathing technique, but could master the role only with some effort and should perhaps wait before going on to spinto roles (apparently, though, he is already scheduled to sing Trovatore in Parma in a few months). All other principals were members of the Mariinsky company. The best on stage was the baritone Sergei Murzaev, who sang the role of Renato with a rather important voice and great concentration, deserving the first applause of the night. Irina Gordej gave a moving interpretation of Amelia; vocally, though, she did not sound at ease with the tessitura, and had some problems with the Italian diction. In the role of Oscar, the coloratura soprano Olga Trifonova had a big personal success,especially owing to her acting. Ulrica was Larissa Diadkova, who sang as usual with her big, beautifully colored voice, but sounded less convincing,perhaps less concentrated than usual. Valery Gergiev conducted the orchestra of the Mariinsky, approaching the score with the usual impetus; those who expected a more refined reading and a stylish interpretation of some passages (for example the love duet) may have been disappointed.

The production, directed by Andrej Konchalovsky, was based on a rather interesting idea: Count Riccardo was presented as a rather mean nobleman, a sort of Duke of Mantua who, in the end, cannot get away with what he has done. This interpretation had the merit of avoiding the discrepancies usually raised by more sympathetic conceptions of the Count, which fail to acknowledge that the conspirators had clearly suffered wrongs from him. The scenes by Ezio Frigerio and the costumes by Franca Squarciapino staged the action in the 18th century, and at some moments produced a look similar to Hogarth's drawings. Unfortunately, the director could not refrain from filling the stage with a number of mostly irrelevant side actions, which visibly annoyed the public, with the result that he catalyzed disagreements and was quite heavily booed in the end.

February

Adina Aaron in the title role of Aida in the scaled-down Zeffirelli production at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto

Foto di Corrado Maria Falsini - Agenzia fotografica del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

The opening of the Verdi year was celebrated in Busseto, Verdi's native town, close to Parma, with a production of Aida. Several peculiarities served to raise expectations about the production, which took place in the small theater (about 300 seats) located in the castle on the main square of Busseto. The theater was built between 1856 and 1868 by the city administration, who intended to honor Verdi, but the Maestro, far from being flattered, declared that the construction was too expensive and would eventually prove useless, and didn't even attend the opening. In spite of Verdi's disapproval, the theater opened with Un ballo in maschera on August 15, 1868, and continued its activity later in the Nineteenth century.

Closed during recent decades, it has lately been restored, and the Aida production served to bring it back to the operatic scene. Producing Aida on such a small scale was a challenge for the director, Franco Zeffirelli, who, having directed many other Aidas in more normal conditions, had to rethink completely his concept of space. The operation was successful: having given up his habit of moving a large number of people on stage, Zeffirelli was still able to stage the action in a convincing way.

The Temple of Vulcan: Aida (Act One, Scene Two) in Busseto

Foto di Corrado Maria Falsini - Agenzia fotografica del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Most interesting was the triumphal scene in the second act: since it would have been impossible for it to fit onto the stage, the procession was only hinted at, and what the public actually saw was the backs of the Egyptians who had come to watch it, cheering and pointing. Equally challenging was the job of the conductor, Massimiliano Stefanelli: the orchestra pit could contain only a limited number of musicians, and Stefanelli had to write a completely new orchestration for the score. The strings suffered the most cuts, and their limitation was especially noticeable in the introduction and accompaniment to the duet in the fourth act; but on the whole the orchestration worked well, and the conductor did an excellent job in combining the stage with the pit.

Several young singers alternated on stage during the numerous performances of this very successful production. On February 2, Adina Aaron was a youthful and touching Aida, Sergej Kunaev, from the company of the Bolshoi theater, was Radames, Tiziana Carraro was Amneris, Giuseppe Garra was Amonasro, and Enrico Giuseppe Iori was Ramfis. Some of the singers came from the vocal academy of Carlo Bergonzi. The great Verdian tenor, also a native of Busseto, served as artistic director for the production; he attended all performances and every night was cheered with affection by the public, together with the conductor and the singers.

The Nile Scene: Adina Aaron as Aida in Busseto

Foto di Corrado Maria Falsini - Agenzia fotografica del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Meanwhile in Milan it was the turn of Rigoletto: the 1994 production, also seen by the Japanese public during the Scala tour of Japan last September, was revived for four nights. Of the singers heard in Japan, Ramon Vargas and Andrea Rost also sang in Milan. Leo Nucci sang the title role and enjoyed a big success. The role of Rigoletto has always been a favorite of Nucci's: on February 14, he was in good vocal shape and gave a deeply worked out and multifaceted interpretation of the hunchback. Ramon Vargas sang the role of the Duke with beautiful legato, while Andrea Rost had some problems in the high notes. Sparafucile was the bass Julian Konstantinov, and his sister Maddalena the mezzo Mariana Pentcheva. Riccardo Muti prepared the orchestra with his usual accuracy and conducted with exceptional fire. The production was directed by Gilbert Deflo, with beautiful designs by Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Franca Squarciapino, and served the music well. The performance was well received by the public, which reserved a special round of applause for Muti and Nucci.

Renato Bruson as Falstaff and Elena Zilio as Mistress Quickly at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

Another Verdi work was staged in Turin, Falstaff; here, too, the star of the evening was the baritone in the title role, Renato Bruson. More than other baritone roles in the late Verdi operas, Falstaff requires the ability of expressing different and partly contradictory facets, with a sort of boldness accompanied by a vein of melancholy: it is a role for which interpretative capacities are as important as vocal ones. These requirements make it an ideal role for an experienced singer as Bruson, whose vocal shape is still remarkable, in spite of his long career. Bruson was a noble Falstaff, full of dignity and never ridiculous. At his side, the quartet of the 'merry wives' was on the whole well represented by Rossella Ragatzu, as Alice Ford, Milena Storti, as Meg Page, Maria Costanza Nocentini, as Nannetta, and Elena Zilio, who, in the role of Quickly, compensated with her acting some limitations of the low register. All other principals were also up to their roles, and the conductor, Maurizio Barbacini, gave an idiomatic reading of the score, if not particularly revealing. The production, directed by Stefano Monti, was first seen in 1999 in Osaka. The stage director, who could rely on a good cast of singer-actors, let them move away from the stage and around the theater, thus being able to take advantage of a larger space, in which the action developed with naturalness and created an atmosphere of deeper involvement for the public.

The final scene of Falstaff at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

Silvia Luraghi also interviewed the great Rossini-Mozart tenor Luigi Alva on February 1st.

March

Bach's Johannes-Passion at the Teatro Regio in Turin with Elisabeth Norberg-Schulz

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

While continuing the celebrations for the Verdi year, the Verdi Festival in Parma paid a tribute to Bellini in the bicentennial of his birth, and offered a real treat on the weekend on March 10 and 11, when it was possible to see the second performance of Norma at the Teatro Regio, and the star-studded Verdi Gala at the Palacassa.

The new production of Norma was based on a revised edition, mostly based on the autograph score; besides, it was decided to restore what was referred to as the 'original orchestration'. Accordingly, the orchestral side was assigned to Fabio Biondi, one of the most credited specialists in baroque music in Italy, with the Europa Galante ensemble, which performs with original instruments. The operation was more problematic than one would think: in the first place, Bellini's autograph is a working draft, rather than a final version. Besides, the orchestration was partly based on indirect sources about Italian orchestras of the 1820s and 1830s; no direct evidence was given for e.g. the presence of a fortepiano in actual executions of Norma in Bellini's days.

On the vocal side, too, some choices were hard to understand. So on the one hand the traditional version with a mezzo in the role of Adalgisa was chosen, rather then the original version with a soprano leggiero; on the other hand, Norma's aria 'Casta Diva' was executed, following the autograph, in C, a tone higher than the usual version documented in all other manuscripts and editions. The latter choice proved particularly unfortunate, because June Anderson, who took the role of Norma, had problems of intonation, more evident in the top register. In spite of this and other imperfections, she still managed to deliver a credible interpretation of the priestess. As her antagonist Adalgisa, Daniela Barcellona sang technically very well, but her almost contralto voice sounds too mature for a young and inexperienced novice. As Pollione Shin Young Hoon did not leave any memorable impression, while the young Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov was a convincing Oroveso. The production, directed by Roberto Andú, could rely on beautiful scenery (Giovanni Carluccio) and costumes (Nanà Cecchi). Fabio Biondi conducted; as appropriate for baroque musicians, occasionally resorting to his violin. That baroque execution is the best for Bellini, though, remains doubtful.

On a completely different note, the Verdi Gala on March 11 was constructed as a media event. At the press conference, artistic director Bruno Cagli, when asked why and how he had planned the Gala, answered that the project was conceived in such a way that it could be televised and attract a big audience (84 TV stations have bought the broadcast, a figure that, according to the press release, doubles the audience of the Vienna New Year Concert). According to Cagli, complete operas do not show well on TV, and the future of opera, which he conceives as crucially dependent on telecasts, appears to depend on the availability of ad hoc events. The Palacassa is a big flat construction with 3,500 seats; amplification was implemented with a new technique, by means of 'olophones', sound projectors created by the Centro Ricerche Musicali in Rome, which may still be improved. The singers came on stage to read passages written by Italian musicologist Lorenzo Arruga about Verdi's life, related to the operas from which they sang. Some of the top Verdi artists shared the stage, among them Marcelo Alvarez, José Carreras, José Cura, Daniela DessÌ, Mariella Devia, Luciana D'Intino, Placido Domingo, Barbara Frittoli, Elisabete Matos, Leo Nucci, Ruggiero Raimondi, and Gloria Scalchi. Zubin Mehta brilliantly conducted the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the public responded appropriately to the event, bestowing a long ovation on all artists at the end.

Bach's Johannes-Passion at the Teatro Regio in Turin with José van Dam

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

Another baroque ensemble, the Academia Montis Regalis, appeared instead of the regular orchestra at the Teatro Regio in Turin, for the Turin premiere of a staged production of Bach's Johannes-Passion. Scenic performances of oratorios, relatively common in Germany, are quite new for Italy; still the performance was very well received by an unusually attentive public. Part of its success certainly owed to the outstanding vocal cast, led by tenor Kurt Azesberger, who was heard in the role of the Evangelist. Among the other principals, José van Dam gave an authoritative interpretation of Jesus, both on the vocal and on the scenic sides; in general, all singers were technically and stylistically appropriate. Baroque is certainly not the speciality of the chorus of the Teatro Regio; still, they were able to fit in convincingly with the rest of the performers. The production, directed by Silvano Cova, had a simple, but convincing staging: a cube stood in the center of the stage; episodes from Christ's passion were mostly staged inside, while external contributions, including reading from the evangelist, choruses, and arias, took place outside. The conductor, Christophe Rousset, specialized in baroque opera, dealt well with the challenge of bringing an oratorio to an opera house and combining the baroque sound from the pit with the more operatic sound from part of the stage.

On a more traditional side, La Scala revived its beautiful 1990 Liliana Cavani production of La Traviata. When this production premiered, it was the merit of Riccardo Muti to bring back La Traviata to La Scala, after almost forty years of absence. In recent times it has been revived quite often, but never enough for the eager Milanese public, which packed the theater at each performance. Andrea Rost, already heard this season as Gilda in Rigoletto, delivered a touching Violetta, while Giuseppe Sabbatini was a technically adequate and tasteful Alfredo, though singing with little volume. Roberto Frontali gave an idiomatic, though a little colorless, reading of Germont père. In the pit, Maestro Muti mastered the score with his usual accuracy and gave a penetrating interpretation of Verdi's masterpiece, mostly on account of his deep knowledge of this opera, which he has conducted several times over the years.

The Teatro Comunale in Modena

Paolo Rolando Guerzoni

Emilia Romagna is the region with the highest concentration of opera houses in Italy. Among the most beautiful is the Teatro Comunale in Modena, opened in 1841 and completely restored in 1996-1998. When the theater opened, Modena belonged to the Duke of Este; changing historical events did not shake the life of the house, which was forcibly closed only during World War One and its immediate aftermath. Regular seasons then started again in 1923; starting in the 1960s the Teatro Comunale has gained a growing audience and it now shares its productions with some of the nearby opera houses. Productions of Verdi's operas have been numerous and important in the history of the Teatro Comunale: the first was a 1843 production of Nabucco (the opera had its world premiere in Milan the year before).

The Teatro Comunale in Modena

Paolo Rolando Guerzoni

Among local favorites is certainly Aida, seen regularly in different productions decade after decade. This year, the Teatro Comunale borrowed the Zeffirelli production from Busseto (see February letter), which, in the bigger house, was partly upsized. The most striking thing about the production was the accuracy of the stage direction, which has further improved over the course of time. On March 25, Aida was Adina Aaron, already heard in Busseto, who renewed her touching interpretation. Radames was Scott Piper, a singer with good acting capacities, but whose technical skills should be worked out, especially in the very limited top register. In the pit Massimiliano Stefanelli, who, after a dozen-odd performances in Busseto is quickly becoming a veteran of this score, this time could rely on a full orchestra, and was able to produce beautiful orchestral colors, changing according to the different moments of the opera, in full accordance with the director's intentions. As in Busseto, the result was a perfect fusion of the stage with the pit, not only on the musical side, but extending to the singers' acting.

April

Lohengrin at the Teatro Regio in Turin with Raimo Sirkiä

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

The season at La Scala continued in April with some incidents. The opening of Falstaff was canceled because of an orchestral strike, and confirmation that the other performances would actually take place was issued only a day in advance. Perhaps on account of this uncertainty, the singers appeared to lack concentration, and, in spite of Riccardo Muti's usual care in both instrumental and vocal preparation, the resulting atmosphere was not very convincing. The four women in particular (Barbara Frittoli in the role of Alice Ford, Anna Caterina Antonacci as Meg Page, Bernadette Manca di Nissa as Quickly and Inva Mula as Nannetta), though all singing well, looked and sounded detached and not completely committed to their roles. On the men's side, Ambrogio Maestri, the young baritone who was making his debut at La Scala as Sir John Falstaff, did his best with the acting; some more maturity will help him to reach a deeper and more conscious interpretation of the role. Vocally his performance was uneven, especially on account of a very reduced low register. Ford was Roberto Frontali and Fenton was Juan Diego Florez. The production by Ruggero Cappuccio relied on very stylish scenery and accurate stage direction.

The next title was a revival of a Ugo Chiti production, L'elisir d'amore, conducted by Roberto Rizzi Brignoli. As Adina, Patrizia Ciofi started with a degree of uncertainty, but already in the course of the first act she appeared to get more involved in her role and gave a secure vocal performance. Nemorino is not perhaps one of the best roles of Giuseppe Sabbatini, who, in spite of accurate and at times inspired singing, received some disapproval from the public. On the night of the second performance, the tenor had the bad idea of answering with a gesture from the stage, which annoyed the public, and resulted in boos for everyone.

On a more peaceful note, the Verdi festival in Parma staged a production of Il trovatore, featuring young singers heard in recent competitions. Various principals alternated for four evenings; the production then moved on for two more performances in Reggio Emilia and two in Modena. On April 20 the role of Azucena was exceptionally well sung by Elisabetta Fiorillo, whose international career, based mainly in Verdi, is by now well established. She offered a good performance, displaying a deep commitment to the role of the Gypsy, perhaps the role that she has sung most in her career. Leonora was Katia Pellegrino. The young soprano did her best to master all the demands role; she produced all the required high notes, but her concentration on the technical aspects of the vocal performance forced her at moments to neglect the acting. The baritone Vittorio Vitelli was a convincing Conte di Luna, both scenically and vocally: he has a voluminous voice and a nice, dark timbre, which unfortunately contributed to highlight the faults of the tenor Piero Giuliacci, who as Manrico displayed vocal uncertainties and problems in the high register and a rather scarce attitude toward acting. Federico Cortese conducted the newly created Orchestra del Centenario (Centennial Orchestra), making its debut with this production, and gave a traditional reading of Verdi's score. The staging was simple, with the scenery suggested by lighting and colors; the stage director, Francesco Micheli, could perhaps have done more to help the singers with the interpretation of roles which were in part new to them.

A very beautiful production of Lohengrin could be seen in Turin from April 10 to 29. In the 19th century, the appreciation of Wagner in Turin was not always easy (Giorgio Gualerzi made this point in the program notes) and, as in many other Italian opera houses, Lohengrin was the first complete opera presented to the public in Turin in 1877. It subsequently returned throughout most of the 20th century, so it is striking to read that this production comes 28 years after the last one: it was really time for a return, which happened in the best possible way.

Raimo Sirkiä in the title role gave on the whole a good interpretation of the Grail knight, though vocally he was a little monotonous. Elizabeth Whitehouse was a touching Elsa, with some problems in the high register but visually very convincing. The best on stage was certainly Mariana Pencheva, whose Ortrud was, thanks to the director's interpretation, the real protagonist in the development of the action. She sang with luscious, secure voice, always wholly committed to her role. At her side, Pavlo Hunka was a subdued Telramund, clearly acting as an instrument of evil in his bride's hands. Among the other principals, Angel Odena, in the role of the herald, deserves special mention; Ronnie Johansen was King Heinrich.

In the pit the Israeli conductor Pinchas Steinberg led the orchestra of the Teatro Regio in undoubtedly one of its best performances. Even the brass section, usually slightly uneven, was this time able to blend with the rest of the orchestra in a completely flawless rendering of Wagner's masterpiece. The chorus was excellently prepared, as usual, by Bruno Casoni, and delivered some convincing acting. The production, which premiered in Florence in 1999, was directed by Luca Ronconi. Margherita Palli's designs were dominated by a light grey color, against which principals and members of the chorus, in modern clothes, contrasted with Lohengrin and Elsa, in medieval costumes. Lohengrin reached the stage in the conventional small boat pulled by a very realistic swan, and joined Elsa, who was most of the time isolated from the other singers, in a separate section at the center of the stage. The Grail knight was projected into a fantastic, visionary dimension together with his partner; their idealized relationship contrasting with the much more real and certain existence of evil. The public, which on April 29 filled the theater in all its orders, appreciated the long expected return of Lohengrin, granting an undisputed success to all principals and in particular to the conductor.

May

Eteri Gvazava stars in La traviata

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

As most Italian houses are celebrating Verdi this season, this month's letter reviews four Verdi operas, ranging from the early to the late output of the composer. Eteri Gvazava, who starred in the live telecast of 'La traviata à Paris' last year, could be seen for four evenings in the title role of La traviata at the Teatro Regio in Turin. In comparison with the telecast, the young soprano, who can act very well, has also been able to deepen her interpretation, and delivered a touching Violetta. She exhibited a nice high register, but was rather uneasy lower down, which made her more suitable for the first act than for the rest of the opera. At her side, unfortunately, Tito Beltran was an inadequate Alfredo, with little acting capacity and significant vocal limitations. Roberto Servile was a convincing Germont, deceptive and mellifluous when needed: the duet between him and Ms. Gvazava in the second act was one of the high points of the evening. Sets and costumes were by Pierluigi Samaritani. The scenes were almost exclusively created by the furniture placed on the stage, with help of the dim lights, that created a somewhat decadent atmosphere. The orchestra was conducted by Marco Armiliato.

Eteri Gvazava as Violetta and Roberto Servile as Germont in La traviata in Turin

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

At La Scala there were great expectations for Un ballo in maschera: in the event, unfortunately, it was missing something,in fact several things. The opera was given in the final version, staged in Boston, the most common choice of the Italian opera houses. Riccardo was Salvatore Licitra, whose luscious voice and beautiful timbre were perfect for the role: unfortunately, his problems with intonation were very evident, especially in the first act. Furthermore, any attempt at vocal interpretation was missing, with the singer's entire performance lacking in inflection. Amelia was Maria Guleghina. As early as the second part of the first act, exhibiting a great difficulty in voice control from the moment she appeared on stage. Here, and for the rest of the evening, the soprano was unable to keep her huge voice inside the limits required and thus to produce the piani, all replaced by forte. Before the beginning of the performance it was announced that Ambrogio Maestri, who was going to sing the role of Renato, would sing in spite of a slight illness; he eventually had to leave after the second act. In the third act he was replaced by Bruno Caproni, who finished the performance without leaving any memorable impression. Mariana Pentscheva took over the role of Ulrica. Hers is an important voice, though not Verdian; she exhibited problems in the change from the middle to the low register and sounded rather throaty. Oscar was the Spanish soprano Ofelia Sala, a singer with a very small voice, clearly inadequate for the role.

The production by Liliana Cavani set the action in the 18th century (a century later than specified in the libretto). Scenery and costumes were rather conventional and the stage directions very poor: the singers mostly came to the middle of the stage to sing their arias, without any attempt at acting. Riccardo Muti conducted, as he often does, paying more attention to the orchestra than to the stage. He also sounded uneasy with the lighter parts of the score, such as Riccardo's ballata in the second part of the first act, or Oscar's arias. At the opening the vocal cast was highly criticized by the public. Maria Guleghina was booed even in the first act, and then again, very heavily, after the second-act love duet. Interestingly, and contrary to what the newspapers said later, the boos didn't come from the loggione, but from below, apparently from the boxes. Maestro Muti said in an interview that the fact that there were "twenty impolite members of the public who booed leaves us with some 1,780 who applauded". This statement, however, does not seem to capture the feelings even of the less turbulent part of the audience, who left the House visibly disappointed, though not openly protesting.

Giovanna D'Arco, a Verdi rarity, could be seen at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. This opera, which premiered in 1845, was initially a big hit, largely on account of the soprano Erminia Frezzolini, who created the title role. Later on, without the charisma of the prima donna, the opera's weaknesses were exposed, and it eventually disappeared form the repertoire. Although musically interesting, especially in the use of the chorus and the vocal characterization of the visionary and passionate girl, the opera's main disadvantage is Temistocle Solera's weak libretto. In Genoa, the title role was taken by Mariella Devia, whose small voice was paired with a flawless technique; the demands of the role required a lot of concentration on the technical side, leaving the interpretative side somewhat in the shadow. The most famous aria in the opera is the tenor's aria 'Sotto una quercia parvemi' in the Prologue, followed by an impervious cabaletta, both requiring huge extension toward the top and secure high notes: all of this was missing, regrettably, in the interpretation of Ivan Momirov, whose technical skills have yet to be developed, and whose voice should not be forced into roles clearly beyond his current ability. As a result of forcing, his intonation became uncertain, and his voice cracked several times toward the end of the aria. The role of Giovanna's father, Giacomo, was adequately taken by the baritone Franco Vassallo. The orchestra played under the baton of Nello Santi, always reliable as a Verdi conductor. The beautiful Werner Herzog production from the Teatro Comunale di Bologna portrayed the horrors of war; it would have profited from the presence of more theatrically oriented singers.

The Teatro Comunale in Ferrara

Photo: Teatro Comunale

One of the most beautiful Renaissance towns in Italy, Ferrara has been the center of an intense cultural life since the end of the Middle Ages. Although several theaters had been built from the 14th to the 18th century, by the Dukes of Este and by local noblemen, the construction of the present Teatro Comunale proved quite complicated, partly due to political events and partly to architectural problems, and resulted in the intervention of different architects who subsequently modified or restored parts of the original project.

The theater, commissioned in 1773, finally opened on September 2, 1798, with the opera Gli Orazi e i Curiazi, by Marco Portogallo. The Teatro Comunale thrived during the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, but suffered a decline as a consequence of the Second World War, as a result of which it was closed and in need of restoration until the 1960's. After its reopening in 1964, the theater soon recovered its previous place in Italian musical life, especially after Claudio Abbado chose Ferrara as the residence of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Although Maestro Abbado conducts regularly in Ferrara, his appearance always has the flavor of a special event: even more so this year, after his triumph with Beethoven's symphonies in Rome and Vienna, and his successful recovery from serious illness.

Vladimir Chernov in the title role of Simone Boccanegra in Ferrara

Photo: Marco Caselli

On the nights of May 25 and 28, Maestro Abbado conducted Simone Boccanegra. The small house was sold out months in advance; the public was incredibly focussed and followed with excitement Abbado's tense rendering of Verdi's score. The uneven vocal cast was led by Vladimir Chernov in the title role, who sang and acted with deep commitment, and in complete correspondence with Abbado's intentions. In the role of Gabriele Adorno, Vincenzo La Scola also sounded convincing: his lyric tenor fits the tessitura very well, and his interpretation also profited from previous experience in the role. Jacopo Fiesco was the young Russian bass Julian Konstantinov, who displayed a huge voice, but little capacity to project it, so that his voice mostly remained in the back of the throat. Marina Mescheriakova, who took over the role of Amelia, had problems controlling her emission, and was very uneasy in the high register; her diction rendered the text incomprehensible and her fraseggio was rather monotonous. Lucio Gallo was a very interesting Paolo Albiati. Two choruses - the European Festival Chorus and the chorus of the Symphonic Orchestra 'Giuseppe Verdi' of Milan - shared the stage; they were prepared by Romano Gandolfi. The production relied on strong stage direction by Carl Philip von Maldeghem; its most interesting feature consisted of the video by Luca Scarzella, projected on the back of the stage, which often reproduced scenes from the sea, central to the emotions of the Genoese Doge. Maestro Abbado conducted the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with enormous attention to detail, while still giving an overall coherent reading of the score, that left the audience breathless, so that applause started only minutes after the end. Both Abbado and the singers received numerous curtain calls and the evening again ended in a triumph.

Marina Mescheriakova as Amelia, Vladimir Chernov as Simone, and Vincenzo La Scola as Gabriele Adorno in Simone Boccanegra in Ferrara

Photo: Marco Caselli

June

Der Zwerg at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

The Teatro Regio in Turin was among the first Italian opera houses to announce its new season, which will open with Reimann's Lear on November 20, and then continue in December with a new opera by Jérome Savary, Carmen 2 - le retour, a sequel to Carmen set to Bizet's music. On a more traditional side, the next three works, from January to April, feature Italian classics of the 9th century: Norma, La forza del destino, and Mefistofele. Some more rarities will be seen in May, with a double bill of Dallapiccola's Il prigioniero and an almost unknown Edipo re, written in 1920 by Ruggero Leoncavallo. June will take us back almost two and a half centuries, with Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa, next year being the bicentennial of his death. The season will end in July, with the debut of Mirella Freni in Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans.

In the wait for this exciting new season, the Teatro Regio presented an unusual double bill of Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg and I pagliacci. Der Zwerg was a premiere for the Teatro Regio, and was highly appreciated by the public. In the title role, David Kuebler, who has already tackled the role in various opera houses, offered a touching portrait of the dwarf who, unconscious of his physical deformity, declares his love for the infanta. The latter was Raffaella Angeletti, a young soprano from Turin, who sang with secure technique and a convincingly cynical attitude toward her misled partner. Annabel Arden's beautiful production was first seen two years ago at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. The sets included a gigantic mirror on the back side of the stage, covered during most of the opera; the veil fell in the finale, and amplified the despair of the poor dwarf, who had already seen himself in the mirror placed on the back of the infanta's throne. Musically completely different, but similar in a way, because representing a story of unrequited love, 'I pagliacci' featured Svetla Vassileva as Nedda and Alberto Cupido as Canio. Both singers were well focused and sang with commitment. The Zeffirelli's production, created several years ago for La Scala, served its purpose. The orchestra was conducted by Yuri Ahronovitch, who was especially strong in Der Zwerg.

I pagliacci at the Teatro Regio in Turin, with Svetla Vassileva, Alberto Cupido, and Philip Joll

Ramella & Giannese © Teatro Regio Torino

Various events took place in Milan in June. On the 12th, 13th and 14th, the association Musica Rara organized a Festival dedicated to the composer Johann Christian Bach, one of the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach, who lived and worked in Milan most of his life. The event included the first modern staging of the opera Catone in Utica, written by the composer during his stay in Milan, and played on original instruments by the Musica Rara ensemble, conducted by Arnold Bosman; the soloists included Davide Livermore in the title role, Silvia Bossa, Stefania Donzelli, Barbara Vignudelli, Sibongele Mngoma, and Ricardo Mirabelli. Musica Rara thus continues its tradition of organizing, every year, concerts and performances devoted to 18th century musical life in Milan.

At La Scala George Prêtre, who stepped in after Sinopoli's death, conducted Turandot, with a cast including Alexandra Marc in the title role, Nicola Martinucci as Calaf, and Cristina Gallardo Domas as Liu. The conductor enjoyed a big success, in spite of the vocal unevenness of the cast. Prêtre then moved to Verona, where he opened the season at the Arena with a performance of Verdi's Requiem.

The successful Zeffirelli production of Aida, already seen in Busseto and Modena, made its way to Milan for a dozen performances at the Piccolo Teatro. Various casts of young singers alternated. On the night of June 28, Aida and Radames were Marsha Thompson and Nicola Rossi Giordano, both well prepared dramatically, but vocally inadequate. Kate Aldrich, as Amneris, on the other hand, sang with secure voice, especially beautiful at the top, adequate volume, and excellent diction. The Orchestra of the Fondazione Toscanini, mostly renewed with respect to the Busseto performances, played once again under the baton of Massimiliano Stefanelli.

A beautiful and very successful production of Don Carlo, in the four-act version, was on offer in at the Genoa Teatro Carlo Felice. In the title role, Sergei Larin displayed an adequate volume of voice, and good technique, which allowed him to concentrate on the interpretation. At his side, Marina Mescheriakova, though in better shape than in the recent Simone Boccanegra in Ferrara, had problems reaching the high register, and consequently forced her vocal production, which resulted in uneven volume of voice and uncertain intonation. Roberto Frontali was a good Posa, and Nadja Michael an interesting Eboli, with huge, dark voice, but rather poor diction. The hero of the evening, though, was certainly Ferruccio Furlanetto, who, as Philip the Second, completely brought down the house (he received a fully deserved five minutes ovation after his aria 'Ella giammai m'amò'. The production by Hugo de Ana (a co-production with the Teatro Real de Madrid) also achieved huge appreciation from the public. The beautiful sets accurately reproduced the historical setting of the opera; even more effective were the stage directions, to which the singers committed fully, effectively portraying the personal weakness of the various characters. The orchestra was conducted by Mark Elder.

July

Daniela Mazzuccato as Lilli Vanessi and George Mosley as Fred Graham in Kiss Me Kate in Turin

Photo: Ramella and Giannese

A new production of Rigoletto caused mixed reactions from the public at the Teatro Regio in Parma. The Russian baritone Sergei Murzaev, in the title role, started with a degree of uncertainty, but grew more secure over the course of the performance. His voice lacks the variety of colors required by Verdi, and his fraseggio is somewhat conventional; on the other hand, Murzaev demonstrated good acting skills.

The best on stage, both vocally and histrionically, was Patrizia Ciofi, who gave a very interesting interpretation of Gilda, avoiding the simpering often connected with this role. Ciofi's Gilda is a young woman who suffers because of her father's oppressive love, and deliberately cheats him. In the end, conscious of having been double-crossed by the Duke, she accepts her own fate. Ciofi sang with flawless coloratura, thus overwhelming the tenor Tito Beltran, who was visibly in trouble especially in the high register (the cadenza at the end of the duet with Gilda was clearly not his strong point). The conductor Riccardo Frizza stuck to very slow tempi, highlighting the singers' weaknesses. Most controversial was the production, by Henning Brockhaus, which depicted the Duke's court as a sort of brothel, and highlighted Rigoletto's possessive and egoistic love of Gilda by showing the girl practically caged in her bedroom during the first duet with her father. On opening night, the performance met with disapproval from the public; only Patrizia Ciofi was a resounding success.

Tito Beltran as the Duke in Rigoletto in Parma

Photo: Tommaso Lepera, Studio Lepera

After this stormy production, even a more traditional Traviata was greeted by a nervous reception, this time directed towards the singers. Darina Takova was a rather dramatic Violetta Valery, more convincing in the second and third act than in the first, in which she cracked a couple of high notes. Giuseppe Sabbatini sang, as usual, tastefully and with perfect technique, although his voice is perhaps more suitable for French opera than for Verdi. Franco Vitelli was a fine Germont, histrionically committed and vocally satisfying. The orchestra was securely conducted by Carlo Rizzi. The production marked the debut as opera director of Giuseppe Bertolucci, brother of the film maker Bernardo Bertolucci, and a Parma native. Bertolucci highlighted the opera's intimacy, and his own memories of his first acquaintance with it. The stage was dominated by huge wooden frames that presented the action as if contained in a series of old pictures. The beautiful costumes by Irene Monti and the rather minimalist settings by Francesco Calcagnini set the opera in the vaguely-defined 'first part' of the 20th century.

Darina Takova as Violetta (left), with Giuseppe Sabbatini as Alfredo (right) in La traviata in Parma

Photo: Tommaso Lepera, Studio Lepera

The Spoleto Festival honored the ninetieth birthday of its founder, Giancarlo Menotti, with a new production of Menotti's most engaging opera, The Saint of Bleeker Street, and a Gala Concert. The opera, which was performed in the original language for the first time in Italy, represents the struggle between reason and faith by telling the story of Annina, an Italian-American girl who believes she's being called by god to become his servant. Giancarlo Menotti himself directed the performance, with a very committed cast of young singing-actors, including Julia Melinek as Annina, Timothy Richards as her brother Michele, Pamela Helen Stephen as Desideria, John Marcus Bindel as Don Marco (the priest of the Italian-American community) and Sandra Zeltzer as Annina's friend Carmela. Richard Hickox conducted with great sensitivity for the score.

Julia Melinek as Annina and John Marcus Bindel as Don Marco, in The Saint of Bleeker Street at Spoleto

Photo: Giulio Monocchi

On the night of July 8 the square in front of the beautiful Spoleto Dome was the set of the Gala concert, sponsored by Alberto Vilar, who was very conspicuously present at all important moments of the celebration of Menotti's birthday (the Gala itself was dedicated to the sponsor, and not, as one might have thought more appropriate, to the honoree). The concert, again conducted by Richard Hickox, opened with a selection from Menotti's opera The Last Savage, sung by Kristina Hansson, Sandra Zeltzer, Cesar Hernandez, Yvonne Howard, Clive Bayley, Neal Davies, and John Marcus Bindel. The first part of the concert featured Jean-Yves Thibaudet, playing Ravel's concerto in F Major. The second part of the concert was waited for with great expectation, because it promised to feature such operatic stars as Renée Fleming, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. The expectation was only partly fulfilled, because Pavarotti, who had taken part in the rehearsal in the morning and had appeared at the press conference in the early afternoon, left the place fifteen minutes before the beginning of the Gala, apparently because he had heard that the condition of his mother, reportedly suffering from illness, was worsening. Pavarotti should have sung the final part of act 1 of Puccini's La bohème with Carmela Remigio, but the young soprano came to the stage alone, and sang 'Mi chiamano Mimí', under the baton of Leone Magiera, who took over from Hickox for this aria. Fleming and Domingo sang the first act duet from Otello; before this, Fleming sang a very touching 'Song to the Moon' from Rusalka. She then dedicated specially to Menotti the aria 'Steal me sweet thief', from Menotti's opera The Old Man and the Thief, while Domingo finished with the Spanish aria 'No puede ser', from La tabernera del porto. The Gala ended with a warm 'Happy Birthday' to Maestro Menotti.

The Teatro Regio in Turin ended its season with a very amusing and lively production of Kiss Me Kate. As is often the case when musicals are performed in opera houses, the arias were sung in the original language, while the dialogues were translated into Italian. This helped understanding and was certainly appreciated by the public. Porter's musical follows a recent tradition of performing musicals as a part of the opera season in Turin, where it was performed for the first time. Under the direction of Lamberto Puggelli, the singers all proved very good actors. The cast was dominated by Daniela Mazzuccato, a temperamental Lilli Vanessi; among other singers, Terese Cullen was Lois Lane, George Mosley was Fred Graham, and David Livermore was Bill Calhoun; all did their best to catch up with the style of a musical. The same can be said for the very versatile chorus, instructed as usual by Bruno Casoni, and for the orchestra, conducted by Donato Renzetti.

Franco Zeffirelli's Trovatore at the Arena di Verona

Photo: Gianfranco Fainello

The Arena di Verona is presenting an all-Verdi season this year. Some of the works, like Aida or Nabucco, are performed virtually every year, as they are particularly suitable for the huge open space of the Arena; others, like Trovatore and Rigoletto, have not been seen in Verona for quite some time. A new production of Trovatore opened the season, after a performance of Verdi's Requiem. Salvatore Licitra was once again the son of the gypsy, his huge voice proving fully adequate even for the punishing acoustics of the Arena, where his limited acting skills were less in evidence than on the stage of a normal theater. He was cheered by the public and encored the cabaletta 'Di quella pira'. At his side, Fiorenza Cedolins depicted a wonderful Leonora. Cedolins, who, in spite of her young age is fast becoming one of the outstanding Leonoras of our time, having sang the role in Italy and abroad with several top conductors. She sings with secure technique and beautiful high notes, and gives an unconventional interpretation of Leonora, less naive and idealized than usual, portraying her as a woman determined to make her own decisions.

At the performance of July 25, Azucena was Elisabetta Fiorillo, who acted with great commitment; her voice, certainly important, displayed a somewhat fastidious vibrato. Count Luna was Alberto Gazale, who was unfortunately not on a par with the other singers. Daniel Oren conducted with great impetus, managing to keep an eye both on the orchestra and on the stage, although fusion of the two is always very hard in the Arena. The beautiful production was by Franco Zeffirelli, who decided to include the ballet that Verdi wrote for the French version of the opera, in order to add more glamour to the performance. The performance was enthusiastically received by the public, who have so far packed out the Arena every night.

Pier Luigi Pizzi's Aida at the Arena di Verona

Photo: Gianfranco Fainello

The second opera was Aida, performed in the 1999 production by Pier Luigi Pizzi. On July 5, the title role was taken by Daniela Longhi, who did not leave any memorable impression. Mario Malagnini as Radames displayed nice vocal color, sang with confidence, and gave a convincing interpretation. Carolyn Sebron sang the part of Amneris with secure voice, especially at the top. Amonasro was Gregg Backer, and Ramfis, Bonaldo Giaiotti - a veteran of the Arena, whose voice is perhaps past its peak, but whose presence is still imposing even on the huge set of the arena. The orchestra was conducted by Giuliano Carella. The Pizzi production features, among other pieces of interest, blue and silver costumes for the singers, imposing sets and a naval battle during the triumphal scene.

August

Il trovatore at the Rome opera house: Dimitra Theodossiou as Leonora

Photo: Corrado Maria Falsini

As the summer grows hotter, more Verdi can be heard at several open air venues. The Fondazione Arturo Toscanini organized a concert for Renato Bruson, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of his debut, which took place in Spoleto in 1961. The great baritone, accompanied by the orchestra and chorus of the Fondazione, performed on the night of August 4 in the gardens of the Villa Pallavicino in Busseto. A beautiful full moon also helped to create an especially evocative atmosphere.

After a short orchestral prelude, featuring the evening's only non-Verdi music (the symphony of Bellini's Norma) Renato Bruson, accompanied by some younger colleagues, offered an anthology of his key roles, singing the finale of the third act of I due Foscari, the council scene from Simon Boccanegra, and the finale of the third act of Ernani. Bruson's voice may no longer be as fresh as it used to be, but the depth of his interpretation, along with his musicality certainly have a reference value for anybody. Among the other singers, a special mention should go to soprano Simona Bandolini, who was especially moving during the Simon Boccanegra excerpt. The public showed their great appreciation with plenty of applause and demands for encores.

Dimitra Theodossiou as Leonora and Dario Volonté as Manrico in Il trovatore in Rome

Photo: Corrado Maria Falsini

After the Italian government decided, in 1993, that the Caracalla Baths were no longer suitable for open-air operatic performances during the summer, the Rome Opera has been looking for another outdoor space, but none of those which have been tried over the years have proved successful. Consequently, this year the management decided to stage their summer piece, Il trovatore, inside the renovated opera house.

This opera, which all the opera companies apparently feel the urge to stage in the Verdi year, is notoriously demanding for all principals especially in the high register; it requires a cast of skilled singers with big voices and secure technique. The impression in the Rome performance of August 6 was that, at least in the case of the soprano and the tenor, these requirements had not been adequately met. Dario Volonté has already tackled the role of Manrico, notably in Parma in the 1999-2000 season, where he also recorded the part. He sang bravely all the notes of the score (and also the extra high C in 'Di quella pira'), but in order to produce enough volume he resorted to forcing his voice production: being a young singer, one wonders if it wouldn't be better for him to concentrate on more lyric roles for the time being, in order to improve his technique in a more comfortable milieu. Dimitra Theodossiou, too, has already sung Leonora: she has a very tasteful way of singing and a pretty voice, but her high register is not yet fully developed and she has problems with the legato in the high notes. On the plus side, Elisabetta Fiorillo was a histrionically convincing Azucena. Stefano Antonucci was a good Count di Luna, and deserved particular appreciation from the public. The new production was by Alberto Fassini; it relied on beautiful scenery designs by Mauro Carosi, and placed the action in a generically medieval setting. The orchestra was conducted rather routinely by Paolo Carignani.

Aida at the Sferisterio in Macerata

Photo: Alfredo Tabocchini

The Sferisterio in Macerata is a 19th century open arena, built for a special type of handball game, popular at that time. It now hosts a summer festival which competes with the more famous Verona festival. Its audience, from Italy and abroad, increases in number year on year, not least because of the beauty of the surrounding countryside. The present season included Norma, Tosca, and Aida, plus a double bill of Kurt Weill's Der Lindberg Flug and Die sieben Todsünden, staged at the Teatro Lauro Rossi.

On the night of August 12, Aida featured Amarilli Nizza, in the tile role, Franco Farina as Radames, Carolyn Sebron as Amneris, and Lucio Gallo as Amonasro. Amarilli Nizza, a young soprano with a nice dramatic voice, had stepped in for the last performance only, and her acting was not completely focused, but she nevertheless managed to fit in with the rest of the cast. Franco Farina proved a good Radames, his tenor sounding particularly fresh and appropriate to the role. The best of the cast was undeniably Carolyn Sebron, who sounds authoritative, comfortable in the tessitura, with a beautiful fraseggio, and convincing stage skills. Lucio Gallo's Amonasro was fine both vocally and dramatically. Aida, of course, lends itself particularly well to open air venues, and the Hugo de Ana production took advantage of all possibilities offered by the peculiar shape of the stage. Particularly impressing was the triumphal scene, with the Egyptian warriors filling the stage from all sides. Daniele Callegari conducted the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana.

September

Loggia del Cashmere, one of the venues of the Settimane Musicali di Stresa e del Lago Maggiore

Among the most popular Verdi operas in Verona is Nabucco, which, due to the special staging possibilities offered by the Arena, is performed virtually every summer. The performance on 31 August started on time, after heavy rain in the afternoon and early evening, but a shower forced the company to take twenty minutes break during the second act. As the rain stopped again, orchestra and singers were able to come back and complete the performance.

To sing Nabucco in the open air one needs a huge voice: Alexandru Agache, in the title role, was not lacking in this department, and his Nabucco was powerful, if a little characterless. Bass Francesco Ellero d'Artegna was also impressive as Zaccaria, and Marco Berti was a good Ismaele. Now for the women - Paola Romanò as Abigaille, unfortunately, did not prove up to the demands of the role. She had to force her voice in the high register, especially in the first act, while the low register sounded harsh. As the night proceeded she overcame some of her vocal problems, but the result was an uneven performance. Francesca Franci as Fenena sounded more at ease, although she lacked volume.

The production, already seen last year, was by Hugo de Ana, revived by Carlo Ceschel. De Ana's imposing settings are usually very convincing on open-air stages, but this time his scenic invention was less effective than usual. One problem was that the choreography by Lino Privitera didn't help make the action effective or even understandable. It was difficult to understand, for instance, why members of chorus had to stretch out their arms and jump up and down all the time, as if working out at the gym. Fortunately, they were allowed to stand still for a moving, candle lit rendition of the chorus 'Va pensiero'. The orchestra was conducted by Nicola Luisotti.

Lake Maggiore, in the pre-Alps between Lombardy and Piedmont, is surrounded by some beautiful seventeenth-century towns, now functioning as holiday resorts for people from nearby Milan and Turin. In this beautiful setting, the Settimane Musicali di Stresa e del Lago Maggiore celebrated their fortieth anniversary. This year, newly appointed artistic director Gianandrea Noseda decided to devote the festival to culture and music from the Danube area. Accordingly, most concerts included works by Austrian and German composers.

On September 5th, Barbara Frittoli gave a song recital in the Sala degli Arazzi of the Baroque Palazzo Borromeo, on the Isola Bella, one of the small isles facing the town of Stresa. The first part of the program included three concert arias by Mozart, which Frittoli delivered in her usual tasteful manner, with refined technique. The second part was more of a surprise, consisting of lieder by Strauss (Morgen, Nacht, Allerseelen) and Wagner (Wesendonck Lieder). In this uncharacteristic repertoire, Frittoli displayed beautiful colors and was stylistically fully appropriate, though she needs to work more on her diction and on the way in which each single word is delivered. Frittoli had a supportive accompanist in Gianandrea Noseda, who proved to be a very good pianist.

Two days later, in the neighboring town of Villadossola, Noseda wore his better-known conductor's habit, leading the Mariinsky Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, in a concert of works by Mozart and Beethoven. The first part of the concert consisted of a number of overtures, and three arias from Mozart's operas, sung by soprano Anna Netrebko. Netrebko was particularly convincing in 'Deh vieni non tardar', from Le nozze di Figaro, while 'Non mi dir, bell' idol mio', from Don Giovanni, sounded too demanding for her. The second half featured Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

While Riccardo Muti and the orchestra of La Scala are touring South America, Verdi's Un giorno di regno was staged at La Scala, with a cast largely drawn from the La Scala Academy and members of the orchestras of La Scala and the Fondazione Toscanini Academies. It is the composer's second opera, and his only opera buffa prior to his late masterpiece Falstaff. Verdi's music is partnered by a beautiful libretto by Felice Romani, telling an extremely complicated story with a happy ending.

From a musical point of view, this is a strange Verdi indeed, with evident Rossini and Donizetti influence: anyone asked to guess the identity of the composer would face a challenge. The company was led by veteran Alfonso Antoniozzi, as the Baron Kelbar. Among the other singers, Doina Dimitriu as the Marquise de Cathe was particularly effective, while Natalia Gavrila, as Giulietta, displayed a rather shrieky voice. The orchestra was conducted by Corrado Rovaris. The production, already seen in the 1999-2000 season in Parma, was ideally matched to the fresh and pleasant character of the opera; all singers had been very well instructed by director Pierluigi Pizzi, and seemed very natural on stage.

October

Aribert Reimann's Lear at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Photo: Studio Ramella & Giannese

The St Petersburg version of Verdi's La forza del destino was brought for the first time to La Scala by Valery Gergiev, with the orchestra of the Mariinsky theater and a cast of Russian singers, on September 30 and October 3. Gergiev is a champion of this earlier version, which features a different, more tragic ending (after Leonora is stabbed by her wounded brother, Alvaro shouts insults towards the dwelling of Padre Guardiano), an extra aria for the tenor at the end of Act Two, and a short prelude instead of the famous overture which Verdi wrote for the second and final version. The cast was familiar with the score, having already sung it under Gergiev.

The heaviest task fell to the tenor, whose extra aria is particularly demanding at the top. Gegam Grigorian, who sang the role of Alvaro at the opening, had no problems with the top notes, but sounded a little harsh in the middle and low registers, and the voice sounded tired. Irina Gordei was Leonora; she sang with huge volume of voice, although the interpretation remained unfocused. The best on stage was certainly Vassily Gerello, who took over the role of Carlo di Vargas, Leonora's brother, with ringing baritone, and very good acting. As Preziosilla, Mariana Tarassova lacked homogeneity in the change from middle to low register and displayed rather poor diction. Mikhail Kit sang the role of Padre Guardiano, without leaving any memorable impression. Gergiev also took from St Petersburg the Elijah Moshinsky production, based on reconstruction of the original 1862 production, that Verdi himself conducted in St Petersburg. The performance of the orchestra and of the Maestro was of very high quality, but the level of the singing did not particularly impress the Milanese public, who left the theater after tepid applause.

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