Opera Japonica/Archives/Letters from Milan 2002

Silvia Luraghi's Letters from Milan 2002

January

Donizetti's Marino Faliero at the Teatro Regio in Parma: Rockwell Blake as Fernando and Mariella Devia as Elena

Photo: Tommaso Lepera, Studio Lepera

After a whole year devoted to Verdi, the Teatro Regio in Parma opened its season with a new production of Donizetti's seldom-performed opera Marino Faliero. The libretto, by Giovanni Emanuele Bidera, is based on a tragedy by Casimir Delavigne, and combines a political plot with a complicated love affair. The music combines some beautiful moments, such as the initial chorus, sang by the Venetian people, or the third act duet between Marino and his wife.

However, the piece is not consistently inspired; the opera, written for Paris, where it had its premiere in 1835, needed to have the form of a Grand Opéra, and included a ballet in the masked ball scene. The complicated plot does not maintain enough dramatic tension throughout the opera: consequently, the action does not flow evenly, and here and there one loses track of events. Furthermore, the difficulty of the vocal score demands a very fine cast of bel canto specialists: happily, the Parma cast was up to its task.

In the title role, Michele Pertusi was an authoritative Faliero, full of dignity and vocal power. Mariella Devia was a touching Elena, managing her agile soprano with apparent ease through the difficult score. Rockwell Blake, in the role of Fernando, had the most demanding task on the side of coloratura; his technique got him through. Roberto Servile was Israele Bertucci, a character external to part of the plot (the love affair), but most important in the overall building of the action. Vocally the role, although very extended, is less demanding, but requires depth of interpretation: and Servile was perfect in this part. Subsidiary roles were also all well covered, and the chorus, which had a lot to sing (very well instructed by Martino Faggiani) contributed effectively to the success of the evening. The conductor, Ottavio Dantone, conducted securely. The production relied on beautiful scenery by Giovanni Carluccio, and the stage director Daniele Abbado enabled the singers and the chorus act effectively. All singers were extensively cheered at the end by the audience.

Marino Faliero in Parma: Roberto Servile as Israele Bertucci and chorus

Photo: Tommaso Lepera, Studio Lepera

The As.Li.Co. competition this year resulted in the staging of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, which was seen in different opera houses throughout Lombardy, with two different casts of young singers. The performance of 10 January in Pavia featured Jeremy Oveden as Tito, Sabina Willeit as Sesto, Marcella Orsatti Talamanca as Vitellia, Sabrina Vianello as Servilia, Femia Tufano as Annio, and Luigi De Donato as Publio. Particularly convincing were the two mezzos, Willeit and Tufano; Oveden started with some uncertainty, but got better during the first act and did well in his two arias. Orsatti Talamanca's register lacks extension for the role of Vitellia, as was especially evident with the low notes. The orchestra was conducted by Antonello Manacorda, the leader of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, making his conducting debut. Great care had been taken in the preparation of the strings (playing without vibrato, according to 18th century convention) but the overall result was not completely satisfying, and left the impression that Manacorda still has a long way to go to become a good conductor. The beautiful production by Pierluigi Pizzi featured 18th century scenery and costumes; it was revived and adapted to the deep and narrow stage of the Teatro Fraschini by Paolo Panizza.

To commemorate the centennial of Mascagni's Le maschere, a number of opera houses, led by the Teatro della Gran Guardia in Livorno, Mascagni's hometown, produced this little-known opera. Le maschere is quite atypical among Mascagni's works and has a peculiar story &endash; on its 17 January 1901 premiere it was performed simultaneously in seven different cities, but fell into complete oblivion after enjoying very little success (indeed, some critics of the time thought Mascagni was suffering mental insanity). The libretto by Luigi Illica is based on a simple plot, in which a theater company meets to produce a comedy: after the prologue, in which the actors present their characters, the remaining of the opera is a typical 'Commedia dell'arte', with the masks ('maschere'), mostly of Venetian heritage. The long (over three hours) score is not extremely demanding, but the singers have to act well in order to give life and credibility to their characters, and to ensure that the complicated action does not become boring. All members of the company were up to their task. In Modena the cast consisted of bass Danilo Serraiocco (Pantalone), soprano Antonia Cifrone (Rosaura), tenor Maurizio Comencini (Florindo), soprano Susanne Bungaard (Colombina), tenor Antonio De Angelis (Brighella), baritone Alessandro Paliaga (Capitan Spavento) tenor Marcello Bedoni (Arlecchino), and baritone Alessandro Battiato (Tartaglia). The orchestra was skilfully conducted by Bruno Aprea. Very important in the success of the production was the work of stage director Lindsay Kemp, who doubled as the production's designer.

After La Scala closed on December 30 with the last performance of Otello, there was great expectation in Milan about the actual opening of the new house, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, where the company will perform for the next three seasons. To the last, many people were sceptical that the house would really be ready for January 19, the date established for the opening of La traviata. But everything was apparently ready for the company debut in the new house, and the public was able to enjoy the performance, conducted by Riccardo Muti, with Inva Mula, Marcelo Alvarez, and Roberto Frontali.

The Teatro degli Arcimboldi is a huge, modern building, completely white on the outside, with the inside theater holding 2,400 people, - a large house by European standards. The acoustic of the theater is generally good for those sitting centrally; the sightlines from the side seats are slightly limited by a number of glass panels, that are part of the illumination system and should function as baffles, which hang out of the walls. Furthermore, when singers move to the sides of the stage they can hardly be heard by members of the audience sitting on the same side. Still the overall impression after the opening was that the building of the new house represented a noteworthy achievement for the city of Milan, and people were only slightly annoyed when the performance of January 29 was canceled due to a general strike.

Unfortunately the next day, during a performance of the ballet Excelsior, a huge glass sheet fell down from a wall on one of the side sections of the orchestra. Since the ushers had realized that something was wrong they had had the people who were sitting there move away, just minutes before the accident. The administration first announced that the house would reopen immediately, but subsequently decided on a longer closure for further safety checks. As a result, two performances of Traviata and two of Excelsior were canceled. The house is scheduled to reopen on February 5, with the last Traviata, and it is not yet known whether there will be extra performances in place of the cancellations.

February

La travata in Busseto: Act 1 with Stefania Bonfadelli as Violetta and Scott Piper as Alfredo

Photo: Montacchini, Parma

After two rarities (Lear and Carmen Deux), the Teatro Regio in Turin continues its season with a more traditional production of Norma. The current production featured Hasmik Papian as Norma, Cristina Sogmaister as Adalgisa, Antonello Palombi as Pollione, and Nicolai Ghiaurov as Oroveso. Papian, previously unknown to the Turin audience, did not leave the public disappointed: her soprano is lyric rather than dramatic, but her solid technique allowed her to master the role in a satisfying way; her acting was also very good, and she was at her best in the duets with Sogmaister and in the touching finale. Sogmaister in her turn was a good Adalgisa, troubled and moving in her interpretation, and vocally always correct.

Norma in Turin: Hasmik Papian as Norma with Nicolai Ghiaurov as Oresco (left)

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

The role of Pollione is certainly not an easy one: though vocally almost as demanding as the role of Norma, it presents the additional problem of portraying a character with whom one can hardly sympathize. Antonello Palombi, in his role debut, sang the unrewarding role bravely and with squillo, proving himself equal to his female colleagues. Veteran Nicolai Ghiaurov is still an impressive Oroveso, especially effective in the final part of the opera. The chorus, prepared by Bruno Casoni, gave an effective contribution. The success of the evening was ensured by conductor Bruno Campanella, a bel canto specialist, whose choices of tempi enhanced the singers' performances and resulted in a tense and vivid reading of the score. William Orlandi's sets and costumes provided a convenient setting for the action, and Alberto Fassini's stage direction proved very effective.

Norma in Turin: Nicolai Ghiaurov as Oresco, Hasmik Papian as Norma, and Antonello Palombi as Pollione

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

After two weeks of safety checks following the fall of a glass sheet from the lighting system on the walls, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan opened again. As an additional safety measure, all glass panels had been removed, not exactly helping the aesthetics of the venue. On the other hand, removal of the panels improved the sightlines from the side sections of the orchestra - the acoustics appear not to have been affected. Whether or not the panels will be put back in their original place is yet to be decided.

The piece scheduled for the night of the second opening was Samson et Dalila, featuring a stellar cast, with Plácido Domingo and Olga Borodina in the title roles, and Jean Philippe Lafont as the high priest. Domingo and Borodina are possibly the best available singers for this opera; their beautiful timbres blend perfectly, and both were able to deliver their roles in a superb manner, in spite of various problems created by the production. Lafont proved a committed actor, but his vocal means were not up to the standards of the rest of the cast. In the minor roles, Ildar Abrazakov was a good Abimélech, while the role of the old Jew was taken by Bonaldo Giaiotti, who still displays a beautiful voice and secure projection. The orchestra was beautifully conducted by Gary Bertini, who enjoyed a big success also in a series of concerts alternating with Samson performances, in which he conducted Mahler's First and the cycle Kindertotenlieder.

Placido Domingo in Act 2 of Samson et Dalila at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan

Hugo de Ana's production was the same seen in Genoa in December: it replaced the planned Ronconi production from Turin, because it was judged more suitable for the wide stage of the Teatro degli Arcimboldi. The first act was set in a sort of graveyard for cars, with the chorus of the Jews grabbing parts of old cars, possibly to signify their moral decay. In the second act, Domingo and Borodina sang the love duet holding a long drape of red cloth to signifying passion (on the first night, Domingo stumbled on stage while unfolding the red cloth and got slightly hurt). The third act featured the chorus in baroque costumes and a frenzied bacchanal, and in the finale, nothing fell: strong lights lit up instead, symbolizing the power of God. The wealth of symbolism proved too much for the audience, and the director was heavily booed on opening night.

On February 23 the Teatro Regio in Parma organized a special performance of Tosca to honor Raina Kabaivanska, one of the greatest Toscas of the last three decades (she debuted in the role in 1971). The Bulgarian soprano, a resident of Italy since 1958, lives in Modena, but is especially close to the Teatro Regio and to the Parma audience.

The night turned out to be a real triumph: Kabaivanska received five minutes applause already when she came on stage; in the second act, she encored 'Vissi d'arte' after almost fifteen minutes ovation. At age sixty-seven, Kabaivanska is still tackling new roles (she will sing Weill's 'Lady in the dark' in Rome next month): her temperamental Tosca still sounded passionate, and she easily dominated the stage. As her partner, Mario Malagnini started with some problems in the top notes, but got better during the second act; theatrically, he delivered a convincing Cavaradossi; his interpretation, obviously less deep that the interpretation of Kabaivanska, was nevertheless up to the demands set by the presence of the diva. Boris Trajanov as Scarpia, on the other hand, was vocally uninteresting and a wholly inadequate actor: this was unfortunate, because the duet with Scarpia has always been the part of the opera in which Kabaivanska is at her best, and she deserved a more adequate partner.

More ovations at the end were concluded by a short ceremony, in which the soprano received a golden plaque from the city of Parma. The orchestra played very well under the secure baton of Nicola Luisotti, and Beppe de Tomasi's production was adapted to the theatrical skills of Raina Kabaivanska, who wore her own costumes and asked for some changes in her confrontation with Scarpia.

Raina Kabaivanska as Tosca, a performance in her honor given in Parma

The tiny Teatro Verdi in Busseto continues the Verdi celebrations, after the end of the Verdi year, with a new Zeffirelli production of La traviata, as a follow-up to last year extremely successful Aida. The size of the stage presents a challenge for the staging of any opera, especially to a director as Zeffirelli, whose approach is far from minimalist. As with Aida, the director basically scored a success, although, in comparison with Aida, Traviata relied on fewer new ideas: the prelude in particular (in which the dying (or dead?) Violetta walks through the empty rooms of her former home, setting the whole opera in a flashback) was clearly a throwback to the director's famous 1982 film version with Teresa Stratas. In order to add dimension to the small stage, two transparent concentric cylinders were set in the middle of it, revolving occasionally, in order to suggest a wider space, which they did quite effectively.

La travata in Busseto: Act 2 with Renato Bruson as Germont and Stefania Bonfadelli as Violetta

Photo: C.M. Falsini, Roma

The star of the evening was Stefania Bonfadelli, in the role of Violetta Valery, completely at ease both with the coloratura in the first act, and with the more dramatic and heavier tessitura in later parts of the opera. In the first act, Bonfadelli portrayed a youthful Violetta, happy to fall in love with her equally youthful partner; after the duet with Germont her character acquired sudden maturity. Germont was Renato Bruson, who acted with deep commitment and was able to turn the rather ugly cabaletta 'No, non udrai rimproveri' in one of the most moving moments of the performance. Unfortunately, Scott Piper who took over the role of Alfredo was way behind his two partners. His voice is limited in the high register and suffers from an unpleasant nasal mode of delivery; besides, his intonation was uncertain and the fraseggio too generic. A pity, considering that the tenor of the second cast was Cesare Catani, who delivered the role in a much more authoritative way. In the pit, Plácido Domingo conducted a 30-piece orchestra (the reductions had been especially severe in the string sections) and the chorus was prepared by Romano Gandolfi, who also conducted the performances with the second cast.

Franco Zeffirelli and Stefania Bonfadelli backstage in the Teatro Verdi in Busseto

Photo: C.M. Falsini, Roma

March

La clochette by Egidio Romualdo Duni in Parma: Manuel Beltran Gil, Maria D'Aragnès, and Emanuele Giannino

There is little peace this year at La Scala. Following the problems caused to the first two operas by the safety problems at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, the third title, Salome, also encountered difficulties. The opening, scheduled on March 2, was canceled because of a strike, following disciplinary action by the theater against two employees, who had declared that security conditions had been inadequate at the time of the house opening in January. The administration asked them to retract, which they refused, and then announced measures against them. All workers went on strike to show solidarity and the public remained at home one more night.

Salome opened on March 5 and had four further performances. Sylvie Valayre, originally scheduled for all performances, became ill after the second, and had to be replaced. On March 14 Anna Katharina Behnke sang the role. Her light soprano has a nice color and reliably good technique, but her vocal power and volume sounded inadequate for the demanding role, and at moments she became completely inaudible. This was unfortunate, because her interpretation could have been very convincing, supported by better vocal means. She was able to portray Salome's childish cruelty, or rather absence of a moral feeling, and especially in the finale she found a very good partner in Wolfgang Schmidt, an initially puzzled, then overwhelmed Herodes. Schmidt sang with a ringing, Wagnerian tenor. Also very good was the Herodias of Hanna Schwarz.

Jochanaan was Alan Titus, who did justice to his role with very secure voice and authoritative interpretation. Among the smaller roles, Annamaria Popescu as a page of Herodias deserves special mention. The orchestra plaid under the baton of Ulf Schirmer. The beautiful production by Giancarlo Cobelli was a revival from the Teatro Carlo Felice. The opera was staged in a nocturnal and mysterious atmosphere, with the jail partly on a lower level, opening on the center of the stage, and Herodes Palace in the back.

The Teatro Regio in Turin presented a new production of La forza del destino. This opera, very demanding for all principals, is notoriously hard to cast, as this occasion demonstrated. The role of Alvaro was taken by Salvatore Licitra, who has a nice spinto voice, secure in the high notes; his interpretative capacities however are not fully developed, and at moments he seemed more concerned with singing all the notes than with portraying the character of the unfortunate Alvaro.

As his female partner, Andrea Gruber was an inadequate Leonora: she forced her voice in the uncomfortable tessitura, and delivered the role with generic fraseggio. Her revengeful brother, Carlo, was baritone Stefano Antonucci, who negotiated the role with taste and flawless technique, but could not conceal the fact that his voice is more suitable for bel canto than for Verdi.

The gypsy Preziosilla was Anna Maria Chiuri, who not only does not have enough volume of voice to master the big role, but also has problems in the top register, which she reached with effort. Andrea Papi delivered an idiomatic Padre Guardiano, while Bruno de Simone, in the role of Fra Melitone, was easily the best on stage: he sang with humor. The orchestra was conducted by Massimo de Bernart, who chose exceedingly slow tempi, certainly not helpful for the singers, and at moments boring for the audience. The production, by Sylvano Bussotti, had some nice moments, especially in the third act and in the final scene of the fourth act.

Donizetti's Il campanello di notte in Parma : Angelo Romero as Don Annibale Pistacchio and Domenico Trimarchi as Ernesto

The Teatro Regio in Parma presented, as its last production before the opening of the 2002 Verdi Festival (on May 18), a double bill of La clochette by Egidio Romualdo Duni and Il campanello di notte by Gaetano Donizetti. Duni was born in 1709 in Matera (Italy). After graduating from the conservatory of Naples, he continued his studies in Vienna. In 1735 he achieved a great success with his opera Nerone, which premiered in Rome; he then moved to London; in 1748 he settled in Parma, where he remained as the official court composer, and started composing a number of musical comedies on French librettos. The composer became so identified with French music and culture that some of his works premiered in Paris: among them was La clochette, which opened at the Commode Italian on July 24, 1766.

The Parma production this season was the first modern staging of this piece of musical theater, relying on newly written Italian dialogues, while the arias were sung to the original French text. La clochette is a very simple story in a pastoral setting, as was habitual in the 18th century, in which two shepherds are in love with the same girl, who, in the end, obviously chooses the poor, but true, one.

The three singers Marie D'Aragnès, Manuel Beltran Gil, and Emanuele Giannino, were all equal to their roles; the Italian dialogues were intended to give a somewhat modern flavor to the story, but the final impression was that Duni's comedy will have to wait a long time before being revived again.

Donizetti's Il campanello di notte on the other hand has preserved all its comic force. This short comedy is about the marriage of a old man, a pharmacist, with a much younger girl, whose former lover sets up a series of tricks to disturb the first night of the newly married couple. The very funny libretto was greatly helped by the production, directed by Riccardo Canessa, and by the theatrical skills of the singers. Maria D'Aragnès came back, this time as Serafina, the bride, accompanied by her ubiquitous mother (Alessandra Franceschini). The pharmacist Don Annibale Pistacchio was Angelo Romero, and the offended lover Ernesto was Domenico Trimarchi, who earned an ovation from the audience on account of his secure singing and lively acting. The orchestra was conducted by Stefano Rabaglia.

Silvia Luraghi also interviewed the young Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra on 25 March.

April

Boris Godunov at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi: a co-production between the Mariinsky Theater and La Scala

The Teatro Regio in Turin presented Boito's Mefistofele, a revival of the Robert Carsen production seen in Chicago, San Francisco and several other houses around the world over the past decade. The production is centered around the title character, always in the foreground as the instigator of the action, and the real mind behind what Faust believes to be his own desires and ideas. As a consequence, the singer who takes the role of Mefistofele in this production must be ready to perform with the greatest possible commitment, and in Turin, the director's intentions found their perfect realization in Roberto Scandiuzzi. The bass who lent his luscious voice to Boito's villain-hero, and committed himself completely to his histrionic interpretation of the role.

Roberto Scandiuzzi as Boito's Mefistofele in Turin

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

His partners were of a similarly high standard. Margherita was Adina Nitescu, whose beautiful lirico-spinto soprano sounded full and ringing in her big aria, 'L'altra notte in fondo al mar'; she was also very moving in the subsequent duet with Faust. Antonello Palombi, in the role of Faust, has a nice timbre and employed stylish technique in coming to terms with the demanding tessitura, although he sometimes had some problems sustaining the conductors slowish tempi. Bruno Bartoletti is one of the best conductors today for this type of repertoire; he conducted the orchestra securely, always paying attention to the stage. A special mention goes to the chorus, instructed by Bruno Casoni, which gave its important contribution with great precision. The house was almost entirely full, and the audience was appreciative.

Roberto Scandiuzzi as Boito's Mefistofele in Turin

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

In new co-production with the Mariinsky Theater, La Scala presented the first version of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi. This version, along with the original orchestration by the author, has lately been championed by Valery Gergiev; as a result, it is getting attention again, after decades of being considered a sort of unfinished draft. For the later, and much better known, version, Mussorgsky composed an entire new act, known as the Polish act. He furthermore augmented some of the minor roles: for example, he lengthened the Innkeeper's song and the role of the old maid. Since the only big female role is the role of Princess Marina in the Polish act, the earlier version is overwhelmingly characterized by the predominance of male voices. Mussorgsky's orchestration, sometimes described as harsh, has nothing of the luscious texture so familiar to audiences from Rimsky-Korsakov's arrangement. The resulting effect is a darker and rougher atmosphere, perfectly in keeping with the violence and hopelessness that encompasses the characters. Gergiev's idea to perform the piece without an intermission was also very effective, giving cohesive tension to the action.

In the title role, Ferruccio Furlanetto perhaps did not display an imposing voice, but his complete commitment to the role made him a troubled and multifaceted Boris. The other roles are all secondary to the central character, especially in this version, but they were all very well cast. Vladimir Vaneev was an authoritative Pimen, while Nikolai Gassiev as Shuisky delivered his role with beautiful spinto tone. In the smaller roles, special mention should go to Eugeny Akimov, as the Innocent, and Lyubov Sokolova, as the Innkeeper. As the Tzar's children, Tatiana Borodina and Nino Surguladze were also very convincing.

Boris Godunov at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi: Ferruccio Furlanetto in the title role

In the version of the score in which the chorus plays a particularly central role, the La Scala chorus, instructed as usual by Roberto Gabbiani, was certainly up to its demands. The production, directed by Viktor Kramer, was based on abstract settings by George Tsypin, where Russian atmospheres were effectively evoked by moving scenery (though the noise this generated put some people off the production) and beautifully effective lighting by Glen Filshtinsky. Gergiev conducted the very responsive La Scala orchestra with deep engagement and tight tempi. For the first time in its history, La Scala experimented with subtitling: members of the audience sitting in the front rows of each orchestra sector could choose to follow either the Italian or the English translation of the text on small displays, placed in front of each seat. They apparently liked it.

Boris Godunov at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi: Ferruccio Furlanetto in the title role

Boulevard Solitude was Werner Henze's first opera. It was written in 1951, and is a contemporary retelling of Manon Lescaut. Though largely dodecaphonic, the music retains immediacy and freshness, and Henze's vocal writing has always been one of his strengths; even in this first opera the composer wrote some very beautiful passages for the singers. Boulevard Solitude had a number of Italian performances in the 50s, but lately it has been something of a rarity, so the Genoa production offered a good chance for younger audiences to become acquainted with a piece of 20th century music, demonstrating that contemporary music is not necessarily too demanding for the listeners. The two young lovers, Manon Lescaut and Armand des Grieux, were sung by Alexandra von der Weth and Pär Lindskog, both very effective hystrionically, securely mastering all demands of the score. The other singers also delivered their roles with commitment and secure technique, in particular Wolfgang Rauch as Manon's brother, Leascaut, and Hubert Delamboye as her old lover, Lilaque père. Bernhard Kontarsky, who teaches 'new music' at the Frankfurt Music Academy, and sees it as his special commitment to create new audiences for contemporary music, conducted effectively and securely.

Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production was first seen at Covent Garden in 2001 (with the same two principals) and won the Lawrence Olivier prize in 2002. The action was placed vaguely in Henze's intended period by a single versatile set, transporting the action from the station of the first scene to Lilaque's living room, then to the library, and back to the station, where Des Grieux sees his unfaithful lover for the first and for the last time. The opera was performed without intermission and enjoyed much applause from the audience at the end.

May

Luigi Dallapiccola's Il prigioniero in Turin: Carmelo Corrado Caruso as the prisoner

Photo: Ramella and Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

A double bill of Luigi Dallapiccola's Il prigioniero and the almost unknown Edipo re by Ruggero Leoncavallo premiered in Turin on May 15. In spite of the apparent unlikeliness of the double bill, it proved interesting and successful. Il prigioniero, written during World War Two, came to fruition after the composer read 'La torture par l'espérance' by French decadence novelist Viliers de l'Isle-d'Adam in 1939 while composing his Canti di prigionia. In a jail of the Spanish Inquisition, a prisoner experiences the last and most cruel torture, having been pushed by his jailer toward hope in final liberation. Just as he believes himself free, the prisoner is taken back by the jailer, and delivered to the stake.

Dallapiccola used dodecaphonic series for this composition, which is organized in a catalogue of scenes featuring the encounters of the prisoner with his mother, with the jailer and with the Grand Inquisitor. Especially powerful are the introductory sections, in which the prisoner's mother foresees the son's death, thus leaving no room for hope even from the beginning. In the subsequent development of the action, single words acquire special importance, such as the word 'fratello', 'brother', whispered by the jailer and repeated in desperate hope by the prisoner. The effectiveness of the piece relies heavily on the singers' diction, as the text is closely intertwined with the music.

Leoncavallo's Edipo re in Turin: Raffaella Angeletti as Giocasta and Renato Bruson as Edipo

Photo: Ramella and Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

Leoncavallo worked at the composition of Edipo re in the second decade of the 20th century, and it was left unfinished at the time of his death in 1919. Leoncavallo accepted the commission when his health and finances were both in poor shape, and the piece consists mainly of material from his earlier compositions - one occasionally recognizes some of his better known passages, including Pagliacci.

At Leoncavallo's death his wife entrusted Giovanni Pennacchio, a musician who frequently worked for Sonzogno and Ricordi, with finishing the opera. Its final scene is a long monologue written for Titta Ruffo, the creator of the role of Edipo at the opera's Chicago premiere in 1920. The libretto, by Giovacchino Forzano, is little more than a summary of Sophocles' play, its merits a direct result of the dramatic perfection of the original. Apart from being a showcase for the leading baritone, the opera seesms full of shortcomings, especially compared with almost contemporary compositions inspired by the same tragedy, such as those by Enescu and Stravinsky.

Among the Turin principals, Raffaella Angeletti as the mother in Il prigioniero and Giocasta in Edipo re proved very effective and demonstrated a solid technique, proving herself equal to both roles. Carmelo Corrado Caruso as the prisoner was also very convincing and sang his part with very clear diction. The jailer can be a very impressive role if sang with the required subtlety required - but Ezio Di Cesare, who was both the jailer and the Great Inquisitor, had vocal problems which severely compromised his interpretation, his voice displaying a break between the middle and the lower register and an unpleasant falsetto at the top. He was similarly uneven in the role of Creonte in Edipo re. Leoncavallo intended to showcase the talent of the leading baritone and in Turin the opportunity was made the most of by Renato Bruson. Yoram David conducted the orchestra, while the stage direction for both operas was left to Fabio Sparvoli, who produced good results, especially in the touching final scene of Il prigioniero.

The 2002 Verdi Festival opened in Parma on May 25, with a performance of Verdi's Requiem conducted by Zubin Mehta, featuring Daniela Dessi, Luciana D'Intino, Marcello Giordani, and Carlo Colombara. It was followed by the premiere of Alzira, possibly the most neglected of Verdi's early operas, even during the 2001 Verdi celebrations. From the time of its premiere in Naples, Alzira was never successful, and even Verdi after a few years stated that the music was quite ugly.

Set in colonial Peru, Alzira is a story of jealousy and revenge. As an opera, it is reliant on the power and freshness of the principal voices. The cast assembled for the Parma productions was in many ways inadequate: the soprano Paoletta Marrocu sang the title role with an intrusive vibrato throughout her range, while Carlo Ventre, as Zamoro, Alzira's lover, had serious problems with intonation. As his rival Gusmano, Vladimir Chernov did not sound at his best, displaying a somewhat nasal emission. Fortunately, things were better in the pit, where Bruno Bartoletti gave an authoritative reading of the score, and the chorus, prepared by Martino Faggiani, made a fine contribution. The stage director was Alberto Fassini; the sets, by Mauro Carosi, featured golden pyramids to emphasize the confused ideas that a 19th century Italian opera audience may have had of American native cultures.

The tiny Teatro Verdi in Busseto continued its season with Rigoletto. The most interesting thing about the production was the presence of the controversial art critic and current secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Vittorio Sgarbi. But the hype surrounding the production proved too great: in the end, what the public saw was an average repertoire production of Rigoletto, with no special ideas, apart from that of including Mantegna's paintings, from the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, in the scenery.

On May 25 the second cast featured Ivan Inverardi in the title role, Gladys Rossi as Gilda, and Stefano Secco as the Duke. While the tenor's youthful voice and looks were well-suited to his role, the soprano, making her professional debut, had difficulty with the coloratura - her pleasant lyric voice is surely more suitable to pure lyric parts. Ivan Inverardi displayed nice piani, but he had a tendency to overact (perhaps a fault of the stage directions). The Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson had problems bringing together pit and stage, and during the first act she completely lost track of the singers; she also had a tendency to drown out voices, even with the reduced forces necessitated by the theater's small pit.

On May 28 Carmen premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, its main selling point being the appearance of Roberto Alagna. Considering the rarity of Alagna's appearances in Italy, the tenor's cancellation of the second (and last) performance, on May 31, due to his commitment the following evening to Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Gala in London, was a matter of great disappointment. In his place, Cesare Catani, already scheduled for later performances, sang the role of Don José with evident problems, his light lyric voice lacking the volume necessary for the role. Furthermore, he had problems projecting and sounded forced throughout the opera's closing stages, with some uncertainty in the intonation.

Much better was mezzo Sonia Ganassi in the title role. Although she does not have the type of dramatic voice usually associated with Carmen, her perfect technique enabled her to give a stylish and refined account of the demanding role. Franck Ferrari's Escamillo made little impression, while the chorus (both adults and children) gave a below-standard performance. The orchestra was conducted by Michel Plasson, and Hugo de Ana's single set, adapted to each scene, served its purpose. The stage direction was adequate and the singers acted with commitment.

June

A semi-staged production of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta

Photo: Andrea Tamoni / Teatro alla Scala

Following Alzira and a number of concerts, the Verdi Festival in Parma offered a second opera production: La forza del destino. This title had not been seen in Parma for 25 years, so expectations were high on the opening night, which were not completely satisfied. Seen on June 19, the production featured Alberto Cupido as Alvaro, Norma Fantini as Leonora, Stefano Antonucci as her vengeful brother, and Mariana Pentcheva as Preziosilla. Padre Guardiano was Carlo Colombara and Melitone was Fabio Previati. Norma Fantini was a very good Leonora: her soprano has the right color for Verdi, and the requisite volume for spinto roles; theatrically she was also effective. Cupido, who had reportedly displayed cracks at the top earlier in the run, negotiated his role satisfactorily. Antonucci confirmed the impression given by his Turin Forza (reported in March): he has a very good technique, but his baritone is lyrical, and not suited for such heavy roles as Carlo di Vargas. Pentcheva's Verdi interpretations always leave one slightly perplexed, despite the fact that she is obviously well prepared vocally. Alberto Fassini's production provided a traditional setting for the action, and the orchestra was conducted effectively by György Györiványi Ráth.

La forza del destino in Parma: Norma Fantini as Leonora (left) and with Alberto Cupido as Alvaro (right)

Photo: Tommaso Lepera, Studio Lepera

La Scala presented a semi-staged production of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, conducted by Yuri Temirkanov with a cast of Russian singers. The public enjoyed Tatiana Pavlovskaya's interpretation of the title role more for her touching acting than for her vocal qualities: the beautiful timbre of her lyric soprano did not conceal the breath-control problems which gave her problems in managing the volume of her voice, especially in the high register. Among other principals, the best was certainly Sergei Murzaev in the role of the doctor, which he sang with his beautiful dark-timbred baritone. Also very effective were Vladimir Vaneev, in the role of Iolanta's worried father, and Juri Netchaiev, as Robert, Iolanta's fiancé. Sergei Kunaev, who took the role of Robert's friend Vaudémont, who eventually convinces the king to let his blind daughter learn about the existence of light, was perhaps a little weaker than the other men, but still very convincing, especially in the duet with Iolanta. Temirkanov's reading of the score was superb, and the orchestra followed him perfectly. The semi-staging was effective enough to let the audience understand the action (perhaps more effective than some fully staged productions).

Titles, which were available in a few rows of the orchestra seats during the performances of Boris Godunov, were not used in this performance; however, the theater administration promised that by the opening of next season (December 7) each seat will have its own small display of Italian and English titles. The three performances of Iolanta were non-subscription evenings, showing up the fact that the new house has not gained general popularity yet: the Teatro degli Arcimboldi was only about half-full for this performance which would have easily sold out the old house.

July

Set of the new Zeffirelli production of Aida at the Arena di Verona

Photo: Fondazione Arena, Gianfranco Fainello

The 2002 Festival of the Arena di Verona opened with a new Zeffirelli production of Aida. On the big stage of the Arena, Zeffirelli could afford to indulge his love for imposing settings: an enormous golden pyramid stood in the middle of the stage, turning and opening on different sides, to let the king be brought out on his throne, or soldiers and prisoners emerge during the triumphal scene. On July 7 Aida was Fiorenza Cedolins, perhaps the most beautiful and technically well-equipped Verdi voice of her generation. She delivered her role with her usual commitment, and the result was very moving, in spite of the huge dimensions of the stage. Opposite her, Salvatore Licitra did not sound at ease in the high tessitura, and had a hard time managing his top notes. Marianne Cornetti was an effective Amneris: in spite of the fact that her interpretation sounds somewhat generic, she has huge vocal reserves and good technical skills, just what is needed for the Arena. Amonasro was Ambrogio Maestri, a better singer than he is an actor, while the two basses were Giacomo Prestia (Ramfis) and Orlin Anastassov (the King). The orchestra was securely conducted by Daniel Oren, a veteran of Verona.

In the small town of Baveno, on the Lago Maggiore, stands the house of Umberto Giordano, Villa Fedora. For the past five years the city administration and the publisher Sonzogno have been collaborating on the Giordano Festival, which aims at reviving not only the composer's own work, but also some other little known verismo scores from Sonzogno's archive. Since the festival cannot rely on major sponsors, operatic productions concentrate on one act operas, performed in concert form. Umberto Giordano was a man of his age, and was interested in several art forms, including jazz and cinema, for this reason the festival includes a variety of types of performance. The festival opened on July 12 with a world premiere performance of a symphonic poem by Leoncavallo, Nuit de Mai, played by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Savona, under the baton of Paolo Vaglieri. The score, recently edited by Maestro Vaglieri, was found in a library in Locarno; its instrumental movements alternate with episodes for tenor and orchestra, and it represents a dialogue between a poet and his muse. Premiered in Paris in 1887, it requires solid vocal qualities from the tenor, which Gustavo Porta, the performer on this occasion, certainly possessed. The second part of the evening featured a selection from Adriana Lecouvreur. Porta sang Maurizio, with Madelyn Monti in the role of Adriana, and Marta Moretto as the Principessa de Bouillon.

This year's opera was Giordano's Mese Mariano, the story of Carmela, a repenting mother who, after abandoning her young child, looks for him in an orphanage. The star of the evening was Patrizia Ciofi, who delivered the role of Carmela with taste and commitment, accompanied on stage by the choir of the local elementary school. At the end, Nandi Ostali, the president of Sonzogno and artistic director of the festival, presented Renata Scotto with the Sonzogno Prize, a tribute to her commitment to many verismo roles during her career.

October

Richard Strauss's Capriccio at the Teatro Regio in Turin: Olaf Bar as the Count and Elizabeth Whitehouse as the Countess

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

A company of young singers presented a Verdi rarity at the Arcimboldi theater: Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio. For his first opera, Verdi worked on a libretto by Temistocle Solera, better known for the libretto of Nabucco. The complicated plot is supported by some tentative music, in which one recognises hints of Verdi's later work, from Ernani to Traviata; the type of singing is still very close to Bellinian bel canto. The singers mostly came from La Scala Academy and were well prepared. On the vocal side, Nino Surguladze was a very interesting Cuniza. Leonora was Doina Dimitriu, already familiar from last year's production of Un giorno di regno. Riccardo was the young tenor Yasuharu Nakajima, who exhibited a pleasant voice with reasonable extension. Oberto was the bass Giovanni Battista Parodi, a young singer who is already a veteran of La Scala, where he has mastered a wide variety of roles over the past three seasons. The orchestra was conducted with competence by Nicola Luisotti, Pier'Alli's production was simple but effective, and all the singers acted very convincingly.

Oberto at the Arcimboldi: (left) Doina Dimitriu as Leonora and Giovanni Battista Parodi as Oberto, and (right) Nino Surguladze as Cuniza and Yasuharu Nakajima as Riccardo

Photo: Andrea Tamoni

The Milan season continued with a revival of the 1998 Hugo da Ana production of Lucrezia Borgia. The beautiful, extravagant sets, originally designed for La Scala, fit the larger stage of the Arcimboldi perfectly. Vocally, it was excellent &endash; all the principals sounded at ease with Donizetti's style. Bass Michele Pertusi has recently deepened his interpretative capabilities, and contributed a very insightful interpretation of Don Alfonso. In the title role, Mariella Devia displayed a very secure technique; Marcelo Alvarez was an impassioned and impulsive Gennaro with beautiful vocal colors, and Daniela Barcellona was a very convincing Mafio Orsini with a beautiful dark timbre. Conductor Renato Palumbo gave a tense reading of the score, with due attention to the singers.

Lucrezia Borgia at the Arcimboldi: Mariella Devia in the title role with Marcelo Alvarez as Gennaro

Photo: Andrea Tamoni

The 2002-2003 season opened in Turin with a new production of Capriccio. Strauss's debate on the relative precedence of music and text in opera is not frequently performed on Italian stages, so it was highly commendable that the Teatro Regio should present it as the season opener. The intention was to renew the association between the Turin audience and Richard Strauss. Strauss's career brought him to Turin on a number of occasions, including his 1906 visit to conduct the Italian premiere of Salome. As Countess Madeleine, Elizabeth Whitehouse sang with taste and security; her voice is not huge but it carries well, even in the house's unhelpful acoustic. Her brother the Count was convincingly portrayed by Olaf Bär. The rest of the men were well matched, and generally good. The composer Flamand was Jonas Kaufman, Olivier the poet, Claudio Otelli, theatre director La Roche was Franz Hawlata, and Peter Keller was a delightful Monsieur Taupe. The cast's one weak point was Doris Soffel, in the role of the actress Clairon, whose voice came across as uneven and unsupported. Jeffrey Tate managed to elicit a really Straussian sound from the orchestra.

Capriccio is not an easy opera to stage, on account of its length and its complete lack of action. Jonathan Miller sticks to a traditional setting for the Countess's palace; from an open window, signs of destruction suggested World War II when the piece was written. The opera was performed, as intended, without intermission, perhaps explaining the number of empty seats.

Capriccio in Turin: (left to right) Olaf Bär (Count) Doris Soffel (Clairon), Elizabeth Whitehouse (Countess), Franz Hawlata (La Roche) Vanessa Carlassara (ballerina), and Claudio Otelli (Olivier)

Photo: Ramella & Giannese/Teatro Regio Torino

Established international soprano Fiorenza Cedolins made her Milan debut on October 28 at the Auditorium di Milano, with a recital conducted by Giulano Carella with the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra. The first half of the program featured music by Martucci &endash; an orchestral interlude and La Canzone dei Ricordi &endash; and the second consisted of operatic arias by Boito, Mascagni, Catalani and Giordano plus intermezzi from Cavalleria Rusticana and Fedora. The concert concluded with two encores &endash; the Ave Maria from Otello, and Adriana Lecouvreur's 'Io son l'umile ancella'. The program was chosen in order to demonstrate that her technique is as suited to chamber arias as to the standard operatic repertoire, and indeed she sang the Martucci songs with elegance and a varied palette of colours. But the young singer sounded much more at ease in the second half, where she displayed not only a gorgeous and compact voice, but also interpretative skills, the fruits of her stage experience.

Cedolins's soprano is basically lyric, but the upper extension enables her to tackle some more dramatic, spinto roles in a fully secure and authoritative manner. Some of her lower notes do not sound completely homogeneous with the rest of her voice, but her musicality overcomes this minor problem. The arias chosen for her recital allowed her to showcase her best qualities, and her affinity with the early 20th century Italian repertoire. Desdemona's Ave Maria, the only Verdi aria of the evening, was also delivered perfectly. The highlight was 'Io son l'umile ancella' given again as the final encore. A lengthy standing ovation concluded the evening; a La Scala debut by this singer is eagerly awaited.

November

The Teatro Grande in Brescia

Photo: Silvia Lelli

The Teatro Grande in Brescia still stands in the same place where the first public theater opened in 1664. Over the centuries, the house has been completely rebuilt except for the facade that preserves the 17th-century structure - a porch was added in 1785 by architects Antonio Vigliani and Gaspare Turbini. The inner theater was built in 1810 as part of a project by Luigi Canonica and opened with an operatic concert featuring music by Simone Mayr. The interior was decorated in 1862/63, and has recently been restored. It is one of the biggest opera houses in Lombardy, and forms part of the Circuito Lirico Lombardo.

Adriana Lecouvreur in Brescia: Amarilli Nizza in the title role

Photo: Silvia Lelli

One of this season's operas was Adriana Lecouvreur, in a new production intended to celebrate the centenary of the opera's premiere. It featured a cast of young but very interesting singers. In the title role, Amarilli Nizza was charming and acted very convincingly. Vocally, she sounded somewhat insecure in her first aria, but later gained greater command of her role and sang with more confidence, although her performance was weakened by an insistent vibrato. Cesare Catani, as Maurizio di Sassonia, has a small, lyric voice, surely better suited for lighter parts. In contrast, Annamaria Chiuri as the Princess of Bouillon demonstrated a luscious instrument with room for improvement in her voice production. Sergio Bologna was a very good Michonnet, and the supporting roles were well cast.

Luciano Acocella conducted the Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, with due consideration to the stage action. Ivan Stefanutti's production featured beautiful early 20th-century designs, inspired by the sets of silent movies (Nizza's interpretation also suggested an early 20th-century diva); the ballet in the third act, choreographed by Simonetta Manara, was especially effective.

Adriana Lecouvreur in Brescia: Amarilli Nizza in the title role

Photo: Silvia Lelli

As its last show of the 2001-2002 season, La Scala presented a revival of Rigoletto at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, in Gilbert Deflo's traditional production first seen at La Scala in 1994. Veteran Leo Nucci has been seen in the title role all over the world and remains one of the best Rigolettos of our time. As the Duke of Mantua, Giuseppe Filianoti sang capably and with squillo, although his voice is perhaps better suited for belcanto than for Verdi. The young soprano Maria José Moreno was a good Gilda, if perhaps still a little immature. The cast was completed by Mariana Pentcheva as Maddalena and Mario Luperi as her brother Sparafucile. Roberto Rizzi Brignoli failed to bring out anything new in the score.

Featuring in the season of the Circuito Regionale Lombardo was Un ballo in maschera, at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona. After recent debuts on several international stages, Salvatore Licitra's interpretation of Gustavus of Sweden was eagerly anticipated. From a purely vocal point of view, the tenor did not disappoint, exhibiting a beautiful voice with good breath control, but his interpretation remains generic and his acting skills rather poor. The best of the cast was certainly Franco Vassallo, a very convincing Renato. This baritone, who made his debut only two years ago, still needs to refine his singing, especially for the heavy Verdi roles of which he is growing increasingly fond - for the time being his voice, although big and ringing, should not be put under to much stress.

Among the women, Elisabetta Fiorillo gave an idiomatic interpretation of Ulrica, while Carla Di Censo as Oscar was not especially memorable. Nana' Karashvili as Amelia was a disappointment: she often sang out of tune, sometimes giving the other singers a hard time too; her poor breath control caused her to sing everything forte. The orchestra was conducted by Tiziano Severini, who gave an accurate reading of the score and was very supportive of the singers. The production by Stefano Monti relied on abstract settings, and stage directions were often lacking.

Un ballo in maschera, at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona: Salvatore Licitra as Gustavus and Elisabetta Fiorillo as Ulrica

Photo: Pietro Diotti - Nova Foto

A wonderful production of Thaïs was shown at the Teatro Malibran in Venice. This seldom-performed opera requires technically well-equipped singers with acting ability, a conductor that gives a good lead to both orchestra and stage, and a stage director willing to work extensively with the singers. All this, and more, was present in the Venice production.

Eva Mei debuted in the title role and was vocally flawless; although the role would have benefited from a little more vocal and dramatic sensuality. This said, she was able to overcome all technical difficulties of the score, and enjoyed a big success. Also making his role debut, Michele Pertusi gave a deep interpretation of Athanaël. Vocally this is not, strictly speaking, the perfect role for Pertusi, who occasionally had to force his bass in the high tessitura (the role is written for a high baritone) but he managed to negotiate his role very convincingly and with great commitment. American tenor William Joyner was Nicias; he displayed a huge, ringing voice with a good range, although he cracked on a high note at the end of the second act. The orchestra was beautifully conducted by Marcello Viotti, who gave a memorable reading of Massenet's score. Pierluigi Pizzi's production featured luscious settings and costumes, and members of the ballet also made an important contribution. A special mention is deserved by prima ballerina Letizia Giuliani, who danced beautifully during the Méditation.

December

Macbeth at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Photo: Ramella & Giannese / Teatro Regio Torino

La Scala opened its new season for the first time at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi on December 7 with Iphigénie en Aulide, by Christoph Willibald Gluck. This comparatively little-known opera has previously been seen at La Scala only once, in 1959. Riccardo Muti, the music director of the company, has consistently included Gluck and his contemporaries in the company's repertoire. Armide was performed for the opening of the 1996-1997 season.

This year's was certainly not a historically authentic performance of Iphigénie: besides anything else, the size of the theater requires a bigger orchestra and more intense sound than the composer intended. Furthermore, Muti chose to replace the original 'happy ending' (where Iphigenie is graced by the gods and marries Achilles) with another ending written by Wagner, in which, true to Racine's (and Euripides's) tragedy, Iphigenie is taken away by Aphrodite. This substitution only involves the last five minutes, but the contrast with the rest of the score is striking. In any case, Muti's choice, well supported by the director's interpretation of the opera, was effective and the public showed their appreciation - the performances almost sold out.

Iphigénie en Aulide at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan: Violeta Urmana in the title role with Daniela Barcellona as Clytemnestre (Act One)

Photo: Andrea Tamoni

In the title role, Violeta Urmana displayed all her vocal beauty and technical skill, but she was far from the ethereal character intended by the composer, and her singing was incongruous with the 18th-century style. Daniela Barcellona was also very good vocally, with a convincing depiction of the rage of Clytemnestre in the last act, though she was less at ease in the more intimate atmosphere of the First Act. Tenor Stephen Mark Brown as Achilles did his best, but did not have the means to master this very demanding role. Ildar Abrazakov was a good Calchas; Giovanni Battista Parodi as Patrocle and Christopher Robertson as Agamemnon, both competent artists, completed the cast. The production by Yannis Kokkos featured white and gray Neoclassical artifacts with the background of a colorful garden, magnified by a mirror that gave a glimpse of the set from above. Stage directions were clear and effective.

Iphigénie en Aulide; Christopher Robertson as Agamemnon (Act One)

Photo: Andrea Tamoni

The Teatro Regio in Turin presented Verdi's Macbeth, in a co-production with the Opernhaus Zürich - the staging premiered in Zurich in the 2000-2001 season. The cast was led by Leo Nucci, a veteran of this score, who sang the title role with ringing voice and his usual deep commitment. At his side, Sylvie Valayre was an electrifyingly subtle Lady Macbeth: on the vocal side, this role is clearly too heavy for her pleasant lyric soprano, which benefit from less strenuous roles. Antonello Palombi, in the role of Macduff, gave a tasteful contribution with his last act aria. Andrea Papi was a good, though not impressive, Banco, sometimes with a slightly unpleasant vibrato in his voice.

The controversial production by David Pountney set the action in an abstract setting, highlighting the atmosphere of violence and moral decay of the Scottish court. Especially powerful was the banquet scene, where the director chose not to show Banco's ghost, thus making Macbeth's terror more striking. The orchestra was skilfully conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, and the chorus, prepared by Claudio Marino Moretti, also gave a valuable contribution.

Macbeth at the Teatro Regio in Turin

Photo: Ramella & Giannese / Teatro Regio Torino

A new opera by Italian composer Marco Betta, Il fantasma nella cabina (The Ghost in the Cabin), premiered at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo on December 13, in a co-production with the opera houses of Modena and Lucca. The libretto by Rocco Mortelliti (who also directed) is based on Il Commissario di Bordo, a short story by Andrea Camileri concerning the possible sighting of a ghost on a cruise ship. Marco Betta's music is melodic and pleasant, but certainly not memorable. The arias are nicely written in a way that does not put the singers under any effort; because most of the libretto consists of spoken dialogue, Il fantasma should better be regarded as a musical comedy, rather than an opera.

For the premiere, the composer had access to excellent vocal cast, including Vincenzo La Scola as Vincenzo Collura, Luciana Serra as the petulant journalist and Katia Ricciarelli as the retired diva. The singers also acted very well, especially Vincenzo La Scola who was asked to perform the spoken parts in his native Sicilian (both Betta and Camileri are from Sicily, like the tenor). The orchestra was conducted by Aldo Sisillo. The new opera was successful, and the audience cheered the performers and the composer.

The Teatro Regio in Parma opened its new season with a gala performance of Ildebrando Pizzetti's Assassinio nella cattedrale, based on T S Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. The opera, which premiered at La Scala in 1958, was originally written by the composer for bass Nicola Rossi Lemeni, and it is a sort of showcase for the principal. It is one of Pizzetti's last operas (the composer was 77 at the time of the premiere), and is an example of his life-long isolation from new musical fashions in Italy and Europe. Pizzetti's music is tonal, the singing very close to an ongoing recitative for the soloists, the choral parts are especially effective, and the atmosphere is similar to that of an oratorio.

Assassinio is basically a one-singer opera, and in Parma the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury benefited from the excellent interpretation of Ruggero Raimondi, who has sung this opera several times already. The second important vocal element, in terms of time, is the chorus: again, the Parma performance was well served by the chorus of the Teatro Regio, who were very well prepared by Martino Faggiani. The minor roles, in spite of their limited length, are also important and should be interpreted in a meaningful way: unfortunately, not all singers were able to do justice to their parts, contrasting unfavorably with Raimondi's authoritative interpretation. The opera was presented in a semi-staged production by Lamberto Puggelli, Bruno Bartoletti and Nathalie Lanzarini, and the orchestra was conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, who offered a deep and intense reading of Pizzetti's score.

Silvia Luraghi is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pavia. Her broad interests include historical linguistics, comparative philology, linguistic typology and translation studies. In this last field, she has done research on translation for special purposes, such as opera supertitling, and libretti translation. A regular opera goer since childhood, she started a second career as an opera critic several years ago, contributing on a regular basis to leading Italian-language magazines, such as L'Opera and the 'Classic Voice', and in English to Opera japonica.

See also Letters from Milan 2000, 2001, and 2003