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Silvia Luraghi's Letters from Milan 2003 January
La Scala presented its second opera this season at the Arcimboldi theater - Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by Jeffrey Tate, in a 1996 production from the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, who sang the Marschallin on the first night, fell ill immediately thereafter; since apparently no cover had been contracted in advance, the company had to find various replacements at the last moment, including Cheryl Studer, Brigitte Hahn and Elizabeth Whitehouse. Cheryl Studer came in for one performance only, on January 11, and proved that the role suits her very well at this point in her career. In spite of the short notice, she fitted perfectly in the production and sang securely, giving an authoritative performance. As Octavian, mezzo Kristine Jepson was also very effective, and sang with youthful impetus. She proved especially remarkable in the last act, where she found a perfect partner in Laura Aikin, a lovely Sophie. Kurt Rydl has sang the role of Baron Ochs a big number of times and his account of the role is complete. All supporting roles were well cast, including the Italian singer, Tito Beltran, who looked and sounded exactly how Strauss thought an Italian singer should look and sound. The Pierluigi Pizzi production featured traditional sets turning on a rotating platform, that allowed changes from the Marschallin's bedroom to her living room and other settings without interrupting the action. In the pit Jeffrey Tate gave a lively though appropriately melancholy reading of the score.
The Teatro Regio in Turin presented a revival of Piero Faggioni's beautiful 1986 production of Massenet's Don Quichotte. This world famous production was originally conceived for Ruggiero Raimondi, for several years the only bass with the title role in his repertoire. In Turin the role was taken over for the first time by Michele Pertusi. Pertusi had prepared himself very carefully for this debut, aided by the stage director who oversaw the revival in person. The singer will certainly be able to find more facets of this complex role with time, but his commitment, together with his flawless technique, ensured that even his role debut was more than usually satisfactory. Dulcinée was Anna Caterina Antonacci, returning from earlier revivals of the production, who sounded at ease in her role. Baritone Roberto de Candia, as Sancho, was a supportive and sympathetic partner for his master; the actor roles of the bandits were also competently covered by Vladimir Jurlin and Mauro Ginestrone. The production, which has contributed in a fundamental way to the rediscovery of this opera, sets the story in a long flashback, beginning and ending with Don Quichotte lost in dreams about his life. The staging serves Massenet's music perfectly, with its sympathetic slant on the man who never quite manages to be a tragic hero. The orchestra was conducted by Patrick Fournillier, who did not sound completely at home in the score and produced some heavy sounds where one would have hoped for a more delicate hand.
The small Teatro Verdi in Busseto, home of the company of the Fondazione Toscanini, opened the new season according to tradition on January 27, the date of Verdi's death, with an ambitious production of I Vespri Siciliani. Verdi's grand opera is very demanding of the singers, and the members of the Busseto cast all sang bravely and in general managed to negotiate their roles in a more than satisfactory way. The best on stage was certainly baritone Vladimir Stoyanov, a noble Monforte, displaying a secure technique and beautifully ringing voice. Also very good was the young bass Orlin Anastassov, in the role of Procida. Amarilli Nizza sang the role of Elena with taste and commitment, but her voice displays a strong and unpleasant vibrato that hinders her interpretation. The weak point in the cast was the tenor Renzo Zulian, in the killer role of Arrigo; he displayed a limited extension and clearly inadequate vocal means (his last aria in the fifth act had to be left out) and was also of little theatrical effect. This was unfortunate, because the other singers, including those in minor roles, were very good actors. Pierluigi Pizzi had the task of staging a grand opera in a few square meters and did a wonderful job. Since the chorus could not fit on the small stage, the director placed them behind the orchestra seats. Members of the chorus went in and out and walked in the side aisles, so that the audience was in the center of the action. The settings placed the action in the mid 19th century, the time of composition, rather than in the original 13th century, thus re-interpreting the final riot of the Sicilians against the French in the context of the Italian Risorgimento. Stefano Ranzani conducted the orchestra - no small task, considering that the small pit in Busseto requires cuts in the string section, making it hard to reach a balance - but the maestro, well aware of the problem, did a perfectly adequate job and was very supportive of the singers.
© Silvia Luraghi, 1 February 2003 February
The Teatro Municipale in Piacenza was built at the beginning of the 19th century. It opened in 1804 with Simon Mayr's Zamori, ossia L'eroe dell'Indie. Theatrical life in Piacenza had thrived since the first public theater was built in 1593, and two other theaters opened during the first decades of the 17th century; by the end of the 18th century, however, they were either no longer in use, or insufficient for the growing audiences. Architect Lotario Tomba, a prominent member of a family of local constructors, was charged with planning and building the new theater by the French city administration in 1803. After the opening, the theater enjoyed a rich series of seasons featuring all major Italian operas. While the building still preserves the original plan, the ornamentation was completely renovated in the 1830s.
The Teatro Municipale shares its season and co-productions with a number of other theaters in Emilia Romagna, and on February 2 it offered a perfect frame for Pergolesi's L'Olimpiade, co-produced with Ravenna and Modena. This opera, composed in 1735, with a libretto by Pietro Metastasio, was a complete failure at its original opening in Rome. As is typical of the opera seria of that period, the action is little more than an excuse for displaying the vocal abilities of the singers. The present production, directed by Italo Annunziata with the strong support of choreographer Micha van Hoecke and his company, commendably managed to maintain the audience's attention throughout the two hours of music. The singers, all young and dramatically committed, also displayed a very high vocal standard. The cast featured Mirko Guadagnini as Clistene, king of a Greek town, Anna Bonitatibus as Licida, his disguised son, Roberta Invernizzi as the king's daughter Aristea, and Patrizia Bicciré was Megacle, Aristea's lover. Licida's lover, Argene, was Rosanna Savoia; finally, Mark Milhofer was Aminta, a friend of Licida, and Sonia Prina was the king's friend, Alcandro. Conductor Ottavio Dantone conducted the Orchestra Accademia Bizantina, an specialist Baroque ensemble.
La Scala presented a revival of its 1963 Zeffirelli production of La bohème at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi. The main talking point of this production was tenor Marcelo Alvarez's role debut as Rodolfo. Although this would seem to be a perfect role for his voice, the Argentinian singer still has to focus his interpretation, which he will certainly be able to do with some closer assistance from the stage director (the fact that this was a revival did not help him). Some vocal uncertainties, such as an occasional loss of pitch, will also be eliminated with time: on the whole, it was a satisfying debut. Cristina Gallardo Domas was much more experienced as Mimì; she is a sensitive and tasteful singer, but her voice sounds rather strident at times. Roberto Servile was a very good Marcello: Hei-Kyung Hong's company debut as Musetta passed with no lasting impression. The cast was effectively completed by Giovanni Battista Parodi as Colline and Natale de Carolis as Schaunard. Bruno Bartoletti in the pit offered an insightful reading of Puccini's score, but did not seem very supportive of the singers: Alvarez in particular would have benefited from more attention from the conductor. The production is still viable, but actually looks very old; it must surely be time for the company to plan a new one. On February 13, bass Samuel Ramey gave a wonderful recital at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, where, for once, one could feel the atmosphere that seemed lost after La Scala closed for renovation. Indeed, this was a one-off; a concert originally scheduled at La Scala, which the singer had to postpone for health reasons. (The Arcimboldi is considered inappropriate for recitals on account of its size). Still one had the impression that more concerts of this type would be appreciated. Accompanied by pianist Warren Jones, Ramey presented a program of chamber arias, lieder, and American songs, ranging from Purcell to Ives. His flawless technique allowed him to display his beautiful timbre in coloratura arias as well as a variety of other pieces: most beautiful was his rendition of Ravel's song cycle Don Quichotte à Dulcinée. At the end, the audience was so enthusiastic that the bass gave five encores, three of them operatic arias and two American songs.
The American ambassador attended the opening of Carmen at the Teatro Regio in Parma on February 18 and left with enthusiastic comments, despite a rather pedestrian production. Certainly on February 2 it had many weak points. Luciana D'Intino gave an adequate vocal account of the title role (excepting a few low notes), but theatrically she was seriously miscast. In general, all singers tended towards overacting, probably a result of poor stage directions by Mario Corradi. Even as good a singer-actor as the Escamillo, Michele Pertusi, looked ill at ease in the production. In spite of this, his vocal performance was the evening's best. Tenor William Joyner also proved adequate vocally as Don José: his lyric, ringing voice is produced smoothly, making him ideal for French opera, but he needs to work on his diction. Patrizia Orciani did her best as Micaela, but had to force her voice. The production was overloaded; it featured too many extras and pointless dances (during the prelude of Act 3, for example). Julian Reynolds kept his conducting in the background. In the end the highest accolade was due to the chorus, skillfully prepared by Martino Faggiani.
Andrea Chénier remains an audience favorite, in spite of casting difficulties. The recent production at the Teatro Regio in Turin featured some of the best exponents of the work, achieving a satisfying result. As is often the case, the best notes came form the baritone, Juan Pons, in the role of Gérard. The Spanish singer gave a perfect rendition, notable for his perfect diction. Daniela Dessí was a moving Maddalena; her lyric soprano is perhaps more suited to lighter roles, but her perfect technique and style, together with deep commitment to theatrical interpretation, have allowed this singer to become one of her generation's most authoritative interpreters of verismo. At her side, Fabio Armiliato, in the title role, sounded much more limited: he has all the notes, but his voice is too small for such a dramatic role, and his technique has a tendency to let him down. Ivan Stefanutti's production was originally created for the centenary celebration of Andrea Chénier in Rome in 1996. The scenery and costumes faithfully portray the historical period of the story, creating a convincing atmosphere for the action, which also benefited from skilled stage direction. Conductor Paolo Olmi contributed to a very successful performance. © Silvia Luraghi, 27 February 2003 March
A new production of Un ballo in maschera, from the Teatro Comunale of Bologna, stopped in Piacenza for two days at the beginning of March. This production should have been a vehicle for Daniela Dessi's debut as Amelia, but the soprano fell ill before the opening, and was replaced at the Bologna performances by Andrea Gruber. In Piacenza, the role was taken over by yet another soprano, Norma Fantini - eagerly anticipated due to her infrequent appearances in Italy. Fantini had some problems with the piani in the second act, but her interpretation was satisfactory overall. Unfortunately, her leading tenor, Alberto Cupido, had problems with intonation and proved inadequate for the role, delivering it in a nondescript manner.
Baritone Carlo Guelfi, the only singer from the original cast, was better prepared vocally, although his interpretation left no memorable impression. Oriana Kurteshi was a lively Oscar, while Malgorzata Walewska as Ulrica was unimpressive. The production by Denis Krief put special emphasis on the appearances of Oscar, who, according to the director's concept, represents the death. The abstract settings tried to set the opera in the context of musical theater of the time (for example, the Ulrica scene featured a quotation from Orphée aux enfers), but the director's work was generally too intellectual to appeal to the public, and too cryptic to be understood without having read the programme notes. In the pit, the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna played under the baton of its conductor, Daniele Gatti, whose choice of tempi left many people wondering what he was aiming for.
L'Italiana in Algeri, in the classic Ponnelle production, opened at the Arcimboldi theater in Milan later in March. The cast featured a number of leading artists: among them, tenor Juan Diego Florez, a local favorite, who also participated in a number of associated events and was roundly cheered by his numerous fans. His beautiful, brightly ringing tenor sounds perfect for the role of Lindoro, as well as for other Rossini roles. On the other hand, Vesselina Kasarova in the role of Isabella has a beautiful voice and is well prepared technically, but does not sound very much at home in Rossini. Her low range sounds somewhat artificial, and inappropriate for the role. Michele Pertusi was a delightful Mustafà, while Alfonso Antoniozzi and Roberto de Candia alternated as Taddeo in different performances, both providing good contributions. The 30-year-old production remains ideal, even if some more attention to detail by stage director Sonja Frisell, who took over the revival, would have been welcome. But good singers and a nice production are not enough for this opera, which needs to be conducted briskly and with a firm hand. Unfortunately, the Rossini flavor was missing: conductor Corrado Rovaris conducted the orchestra in a rather dull way, giving an overall impression of boredom - not something one normally associates with Rossini. On the occasion of this revival, La Scala organized an exhibition devoted to the work and La Scala career of the great mezzo Lucia Valentini Terrani, who has herself appeared in many previous revivals of this production.
The Italian premiere of the already famous opera by André Previn, A Streetcar Named Desire, took place at the Teatro Regio in Turin. The new opera had aroused curiosity, particularly amongst critics, and had received extensive media coverage. In the event, though, Previn's music did not go down well either with the Italian audience, who generally found the opera too long (most performances saw many people leave after the second act) or the critics, who found it too similar to a movie sound track. Indeed the opera is very long; no scenes of the drama have been left out and the libretto lacks dramatic impact. Fortunately, the Turin cast were all equal to the dramatic demands of their roles. Barbara Haveman, in the demanding role of Blanche DuBois, had some minor vocal flaws when approaching the high range, but acted with great commitment, as did Randal Turner as Stanley Kowalski and Keith Olsen as Mitch. Laura Cherici's Stella Kowalski was particularly moving. The new production, directed by Giorgio Gallione, was arranged simply on two levels, which effectively represented Stella's home. The orchestra was conducted by Steven Mercurio. © Silvia Luraghi, 31 March 2003 April
The Teatro Comunale in Bologna is one of the oldest and most beautiful opera houses in the area. Built by renowned architect Antonio Galli Bibiena, it opened on 14 May 1763 with Christoph Willibald Gluck's Il trionfo di Clelia. It immediately became one of the most important stages in Italy, and hosted several premieres, including the Italian one of Lohengrin in 1871. Bologna subsequently remained the most important 'Wagnerian' city in Italy for several decades. The small theater seats less than 1000 people: for this reason, the house is also famous as one of the most difficult places to get tickets.
In April, the Teatro Comunale offered a perfect setting for Handel's Giulio Cesare. The title role was sung by Daniela Barcellona, who sounded tired and unidiomatic. Fortunately, this was the production's only flaw. The other singers were all on a satisfying level at least; Maria Bayo, for example, interpreted Cleopatra with excellent theatrical skills, in spite of some lack of vibrato. Monica Bacelli sang the taxing role of Sesto movingly and with commitment, and Silvia Tro Santafé was a very convincing Tolomeo. Best of all was Sara Mingardo, who delivered a perfect Cornelia, with lush, dark timbred voice, perfectly amalgamated with the sound of the orchestra. The Orchestra del Teatro Comunale, placed on stage behind the singers, was competently conducted by Baroque specialist Rinaldo Alessandrini, and the production, co-produced with the Teatro Real in Madrid, was directed by Luca Ronconi. The action was set in a largely imaginary Egypt, the abstract settings integrated by film chips from silent movies projected on a screen on the back of the stage. The production turned out to be very involving; singers, conductor and stage director were warmly received by the audience.
Les pêcheurs de perles is today a much less popular opera than it was just a few decades ago. The reason for this is unclear, given the opera's public appeal; the idea of the theaters of Emilia Romagna producing it this season was therefore most welcome. The opera features beautiful melodies, and is very demanding for all principals, especially for the tenor, who, besides the duets, also has to sing 'Je crois entendre encore'. Heard in Piacenza, tenor Stefano Secco's voice is pleasant and light, but too small to master the role; his vocal elegance was countered by the fact that he could hardly be heard. Conversely, Doina Dimitriu, in the role of Leila, displayed a huge, dramatic soprano, inappropriate for the delicate tunes of the Indian priestess. Baritone Alessandro Corbelli was a stylish Zurga, with a beautiful voice and secure technique. The production was staged in an exotic setting, which sought to reproduce popular 19th-century ideas of exotica - symbols of different oriental religions were mixed together, with little regard for historical accuracy. This nevertheless had the effect of building an intimate and intriguing atmosphere, appropriate to the piece. The Orchestra of the Fondazione Toscanini played under the secure baton of Reynald Giovaninetti.
Riccardo Muti came back to the Arcimboldi theater in April to conduct a revival of the 1999 production of Fidelio. Waltraud Meier, returning from the production's original cast, lent her entire range of skills to her interpretation of Leonora - her voice has some minor problems at the top, but the audience found a connection with her deeply moving interpretation. Florestan was Robert Dean Smith, who gave an emotional account of his big aria. The cast was completed by Laura Aikin as Marzelline, Ildar Abdrazakov as Don Fernando, Eike Wilm Schulte as Don Pizarro and Hans Tschammer as Rocco. The orchestra was beautifully conducted by Maestro Muti, whose deep understanding of the score made particular highlights of the Prisoners' Chorus and the finale. Werner Herzog's production relies on dark settings, effectively conveying the sense of oppression felt by the prisoners.
In Busseto, the Fondazione Toscanini organized the 43rd International Competition Voci Verdiane with a jury including José Carreras and the artistic directors of several European opera houses. The finals took place on April 14, with the Orchestra of the Fondazione Toscanini conducted by Lukas Karytinos. The finalists were from various countries, including Korea, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, and Greece, and the women were both greater in number and generally higher in quality than the men. The jury agreed; the first prize was awarded to Greek soprano Sofia Mitropoulos, who sang 'Ecco l'orrido campo', from Un ballo in maschera, and the second to Italian soprano Anna Adriana Damato, who sang 'Sempre all'alba' from Giovanna d'Arco. The third prize went to Korean tenor Sung Hoon Hong, who impressed the audience with his rendition of 'Quando le sere al placido', from Luisa Miller. It only remains for the winners and finalists to prove their skills on stage. The next day, the Fondazione Toscanini announced their joint project with the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza. The two companies will work together in the next three seasons, organising a rich series of events mainly based around Verdi's operas, attempting to attract people from the whole country and from abroad with a programme of musical and gastronomic vacations. © Silvia Luraghi, 29 April 2003 May
The Washington Opera brought its production of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Sly to the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma early in May, as a vehicle for Plácido Domingo who sang the title role as he had done at the Met last season. Like many verismo works, Wolf-Ferrari's opera is certainly no masterpiece; however, it offers a good opportunity for singers to showcase their theatrical skills, surely the reason why it has been so popular with artists like Domingo and Carreras in recent years. Domingo, who had not been heard in Rome for four years, was in very good vocal shape, and sang with his usual commitment. At his side, Elisabete Matos was a very convincing Dolly. Particularly interesting was baritone Alberto Mastromarino in the role of Dolly's lover, the Count of Westmoreland. The other baritone role, that of Sly's friend John Plake, was also adequately taken by Gianfranco Montresor, while the singers in the subsidiary roles could have been better chosen.
The production by Marta Domingo is based on a concept which treats Sly more as a musical comedy than as an opera. As a consequence, choral scenes featured various extras, including dancers in the second act, and the chorus and extras were required to act and dance as in a Broadway show. The last act also featured an angel of death dancing around Sly and helping him break a bottle in order to slit his wrists. The orchestra was conducted by Renato Palumbo, who did his best to highlight the best points of a usually monotonous score. All performances were successful, though apparently even the presence of Domingo was not sufficient to convince the reluctant Rome audience to enjoy this little known opera - the house did not sell out.
Italian composer Marco Tutino sees himself as a follower of Italian Verismo. His music is generally melodic, and his writing is mostly voice-friendly. Tutino's new opera, Vita, opened in Milan on May 14 and could be seen at the Piccolo Teatro Studio. The libretto, written by Patrizia Valduga, is based on Pulitzer prize winner Margaret Edson's drama Wit, which was made into a film by Mike Nichols in 2001. Vita is the story of a woman who is diagnosed with cancer, and has only a few months left to live. Vita (the Italian name of the main character) is a highly intellectual woman, who has devoted her life to the study of John Donne's poetry. In the opera, Vita muses on the meaning of her life and of life and death in general, closely linked with the works of the poet. The relationship between the patient and her doctors are also brought into focus, as the woman tries to retain her personal dignity in death.
Vita is a role for a great singer-actress and here it was beautifully sung by Anna Caterina Antonacci. Michele Pertusi was a very authoritative John Donne, although his rendition of the poem 'Death be not proud' would have benefited from some language coaching (the text of the poem remained in English, while the rest of the libretto was in Italian). Tenor Keith Olsen and bass Giovanni Battista Parodi were the two doctors, while Laura Cherici took over the role of the sympathetic nurse Susan. The orchestra, placed at the back of the stage, was conducted by Giuseppe Grazioli. Giorgio Gallione' s staging was especially effective. Because of the shape of the small theater (the audience seats are placed in a semicircle) the action was performed almost in contact with audience, producing an unusual immediacy. The theater was sold out and it looks probable that this beautiful opera will be performed again soon, either in Italy or elsewhere.
Also in mid-May, Riccardo Muti returned to Milan to conduct Verdi's I due Foscari at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi. This early Verdi work has never been very popular in Milan: seen at La Scala short after its creation, it has not often been back, and was seen for the last time in 1988, conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni. Leo Nucci, a member of the original cast, was Francesco Foscari, alternating with the young baritone Ivan Inverardi, who impressed the audience with his deeply moving rendition of the old Venetian Doge. His son Jacopo Foscari was Francisco Casanova, making his Milan debut. His nicely timbred tenor has the necessary squillo for an early Verdi opera, but his breathing technique doesn't seem solid enough yet, and he often gave the impression that he was barely up to the role. In comparison, Dimitra Theodossiou sounded much more at ease in the spinto role of Lucrezia Contarini, although she pushed too much in the high range, which sounded overly shrill.
There was yet more to come in Milan, this time at the auditorium of the Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra, where musical director Riccardo Chailly conducted four concert performances of Puccini's Il tabarro. Expectations were raised both by the fact that this opera is virtually a rarity for the Italian stages, and by the presence of Fiorenza Cedolins, a Milanese favourite, who has never sung at La Scala. The audience was not disappointed: singers and orchestra gave a very involving rendition of the piece, in spite of some clumsiness caused by it being a concert performance.
I Lombardi alla prima crociata, seen on May 25, was deservedly very successful. The only disappointment was the indisposition of Mariella Devia. She was replaced by Alessandra Rezza, a young soprano who possesses a huge voice, but who needs to work on her technique and tame a disturbing vibrato. Parma native Michele Pertusi was Pagano, a role which may lie too low for his voice, but which he delivered in his usual tasteful manner. Vincenzo La Scola's voice is perfect for the role of Oronte, as were those of Rosario La Spina and Enrico Giuseppe Iori as Arvino and Pirro. The chorus, instructed by Martino Faggiani, contributed effectively to the overall success, and the audience cheered so much that the chorus 'Oh Signore dal tetto natio' was encored. Even so, the best performance came from the orchestra, beautifully conducted by Renato Palumbo. The new production, directed by Lamberto Puggelli, featured abstract settings evocative of a timeless war, by Paolo Bregni, and more naturalistic costumes by Santuzza Calí; on the whole, some more specific stage directions would have been welcome.
The Fondazione Toscanini organized two recitals by Argentine tenor José Cura at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto, on May 25 and 27. It is now well-known that Cura combines his singing career with conducting, and accordingly this all-Verdi programme was spread between arias and instrumental items. Fortunately Cura did not decide to conduct the arias he was singing (as he has sometimes been known to do), so he alternated on the podium with his compatriot Tulio Galiardo. The concert included eight arias (from Trovatore, Ernani, Corsaro, Luisa Miller, Simon Boccanegra, Un ballo in maschera, Macbeth, and La forza del destino), and a number of preludes and intermezzi (Cura conducted those of Nabucco, Alzira, and I vespri siciliani). Before singing the Don Alvaro's aria from Forza, Cura also recited the monologue from 'Don Alvaro, o la fuerza del sino', the Spanish drama that provided the material for Piave's libretto. All in all, this was a one man show, and was received with some perplexity by the audience. © Silvia Luraghi, 31 May 2003 June
This month the Teatro Regio in Turin staged Gounod's Faust, a co-production with the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, which premiered in Rome last January. The title role was sung very effectively by Giuseppe Sabbatini. Sabbatini is not perhaps the most gifted singer with regard to volume of voice or beauty of timbre (his slightly nasal quality is fortunately less noticeable in the French repertoire) but his theatrical capacities and dramatic commitment are sufficient to make up for these shortcomings. Carlo Colombara was a good Méphistophélès, conforming well to the French style, but the role would really have benefited from a singer with greater charisma and stage presence. Soprano Leontina Vaduva displayed a beautiful palette of colors, conveying Marguerite's emotions in a delicate and insightful manner, and the cast was completed by Jean-François Lapointe, who lent a secure baritone to the role of Valentin.
The Hugo de Ana production featured a big cubic structure center stage, which contained parts of the sets and revolved to create more space for the action - a device which was primarily employed to integrate the various interior and exterior scenes. Unfortunately, under Michel Plasson, the pit and stage were musically somewhat at odds with one another, and because of this it was the orchestral playing which let the production down.
After last month's successful production of I Lombardi, the Verdi Festival continued in Parma with the more traditionally crowd-pleasing Nabucco, scoring another success. Leo Nucci is by now a veteran of the title role, and though his in-depth interpretation is well known, he is still able to add to it. In Parma he was especially moving in his bewilderment after having proclaimed himself god, and in the subsequent duet with Abigaille. Also a major contributor to the production's success was Susan Neves, who sang the killer role of Abigaille with a lush voice and secure technique, enabling her to shade and nuance her singing when required. Ferruccio Furlanetto (as Zaccaria) did not have a perfect start, but recovered completely during the course of the opera. Tenor Nicola Rossi Giordano and mezzo Gloria Scalchi also contributed effectively in the roles of Ismaele and Fenena. Once more the chorus of the Teatro Regio di Parma, prepared by Martino Faggiani, demonstrated their musicality and solid preparation, and encored 'Va' pensiero' to the delight of the audience.
Charles Roubaud's production, originally from Monte Carlo, failed to make a particularly strong impression: the abstract scenery featured biblical quotations, and the singers drifted around in costumes from different historical periods, apparently with little stage direction. The orchestra was conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, who gave an outstanding reading of Verdi's score.
A rarity for the Italian stages, Leos Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen was presented at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, for only the second time in the history of La Scala. To be successful, this opera needs singers who are comfortable with its peculiar atmosphere, and who can act as animals with human characteristics - not an easy task, especially for the soprano in the title role. In Milan, Rosemary Joshua took over the role of the vixen and her dazzling interpretation conquered the initially reluctant audience. Alan Opie's gamekeeper managed to convey the right feeling of sadness for the passing of time, the theme which permeates the whole opera. The numerous cast included Sim Tokyurek as the gamekeeper's wife, Ian Thompson as the schoolmaster, Anna Katharina Behnke as the fox, and many others, all giving an effective contribution to the performance.
The Ravenna Festival opened with a new production of Il trovatore, directed by the Festival's artistic director Cristina Mazzavillani Muti. The concept of the production was to highlight the universally popular features of the libretto by setting the action in the local environment. The scenery therefore reproduced known local landmarks, such as the oil refinery, and used two actresses (Ermanna Montanari and Daniela Piccari) as narrators telling parts of the story to each other at the start of each act, accompanied by an accordion, played by Luciano Titi. Before going into the musical aspects, it must be mentioned that Ms Muti chose to use a sound enhancement system devised by Alvise Vidolin, enabling the use of certain special aural effects, such as being in a closed chamber in Act IV. Unfortunately this (inevitably?) led to distortion of the singers' voices, and it is therefore probably unfair to use this performance as a benchmark for the abilities of any one of the principals.
The sound from the pit was less impressive; conductor Julian Kovatchev chose puzzling tempi and often drowned out the singers. The production heavily relied on projections on transparencies, hence a very important contribution by lighting technician Simon Corder. The effect was convincing, even though I am not sure that it really saw the concept through. In particular, the two narrators had little integration with the rest of the production and one did not really feel the need for their contribution. Even so, the small house was completely sold out and the evening was a great success. July
The Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa finished the 2002-2003 season with Gaetano Donizetti's masterpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor. In spite of being an audience favorite, this opera has not often been seen in Italian opera houses over the last decade - perhaps owing to the difficulty in finding a singer who can master the title role, and find a balance between technique and passion. In Genoa, Lucia was Stefania Bonfadelli. This singer has a nice voice with a very secure top, perfectly tuned high notes and gives the impression that she can easily manage any type of coloratura. From the beginning, her Lucia seems distanced from the other characters, and enclosed in her inner world, so the mad scene seems a natural progression. A very personal interpretation that left one with the impression that her remoteness owed at least in part to her greater attention to the notes than to the drama.
Edgardo was Marcelo Alvarez, in excellent shape and acting with deep commitment. He scored a personal success; the second-act quartet was received so warmly by the audience that it had to be encored. Also very effective were Roberto Frontali's Enrico, and Nicola Ulivieri's Raimondo. The contribution from the pit was weaker. Patrick Fournillier conducted an often noisy orchestra, and the chorus sometimes seemed to lose tempo.
Graham Vick's 1998 production (originally for Florence) featured simple but very evocative scenes, in which visual details pointed toward the complicated relations between the two rival families (in the first act, Edgardo and Lucia were associated with different tartans). The performance was extremely successful, partially because there had been some uncertainty that it would take place at all (the orchestra had been on strike for several days, forcing the cancelation of the first two performances).
The Arena di Verona opened its current festival with a new production of Turandot, starring José Cura, making a strong role debut as Calaf. The Argentine tenor had prepared carefully and, in comparison to his last appearances, sounded more at ease with his breath control. His histrionic capacities make him an ideal actor for the huge space of the Arena, where refinement does not matter much and subtleties in fraseggio are mostly lost. Being a regular guest in Verona, Cura also has a large number of fans, who cheered him whenever he was on stage: obviously 'Nessun dorma' was encored (in which he unfortunately cracked a note at the end).
La Scala closed its second season at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi with a revival of the 2000 production of West Side Story, an original Broadway production by Robert Griffith and Harold Prince. The company was made up of young singers of various nationalities, some with a background in music theatre rather than opera; accordingly voices were amplified (as had been the case at La Scala). Tony was Vittorio Grigolo, a tenor who clearly had no previous experience in the role; he tried his best, but his English diction was rather poor, and he looked more committed to getting through the score than to giving a real interpretation. © Silvia Luraghi, 30 July 2003 August
During the summer, the Fondazione Toscanini performs in various outdoors locations, including the gardens of the Villa Pallavicino in Busseto. This year's productions included Rigoletto and La traviata, both revivals from the 2001-02 season. Moving from the small stage of the Busseto theater to the much bigger open air stage always takes some additional work: as a consequence, changes had to be made, affecting the two productions to varying extents.
Although the La traviata production, originally staged in February 2002 in Busseto, has already toured various Italian opera houses, director Franco Zeffirelli did not sanction this revival, believing his production unsuitable for an outdoor space. While there was commitment in the singing and acting, and the result was more than acceptable, Zeffirelli certainly had a point - the intimate dimensions of the staging sat uncomfortably with the location. © Silvia Luraghi, 30 August 2003 September Not much happens on the operatic scene in September in Italy. Summer festivals end in August, and opera companies mostly have a month of rest. Some events that featured the voice may be mentioned. The Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi organized a special concert on September 11, featuring Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, conducted by Claus Peter Flor, with soprano Henriette Bonde-Hansen and baritone Robert Hyman. The Stresa Festival closed on September 13. Its final concert featured an ensemble of eight cellos, conducted by the Italian cellist Enrico Dindo. Among other things, the performers played the Bachiana brasileira number 5, by Hector Villa-Lobos, beautifully sung by young Milanese soprano Elena Monti. © Silvia Luraghi, 4 October 2003 October
The Teatro Regio in Turin opened the 2003-2004 season with a new production of Simon Boccanegra. Juan Pons in the title role cancelled on opening night and was replaced by Ambrogio Maestri; later he was able to take over the role in the remaining performances. Pons is perhaps more at home in verismo than in Verdi; however his rendition of the Genoese doge was impressive for his commitment and his perfect diction, especially in the council scene and in the fourth act. As his daughter Amelia/Maria, Barbara Frittoli also displayed vocal beauty and was on the whole satisfactory, even though she seemed not to have gone as deeply into her character as Pons did with Simone.
Fabio Sartori was Gabriele Adorno, replacing Vincenzo La Scola (who canceled to fly to New York to take part in the celebrations of Columbus Day), giving a good contribution to the performance. Bass Andrea Papi did not seem to have the strength required for the role of Fiesco, and his interpretation remained generic. As Paolo Albiani, Marco Vratogna did not sound very appropriate either. The very effectual production was by Graham Vick; in the abstract settings, all in gray, designed by Richard Hudson, the sea became the main character: a revolving roller in the back of the stage, representing the waves, was the background of the whole action. The orchestra of the Teatro Regio was conducted by Roberto Abbado.
The new season opened in Genoa with Gioacchino Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims. This seldom performed opera requires an enormous cast, featuring fourteen principal roles, each of which offers difficulties. The Teatro Carlo Felice managed to gather a good group of singers, among whom Elena De La Merced as Corinna gave the top performance. Her light soprano, delicately timbred, has an easy top which allows her to master complicated ornamentation. Good contributions were also given by Alfonso Antoniozzi as Don Profondo and by Simone Alberghini as Lord Sidney. Luciana Serra as Madama Cortese and Enzo Dara as Baron Trombonok were especially effective for their lively interpretation. Désirée Rancatore was a good Countess Forleville, while Rockwell Blake and Lawrence Brownlee contributed as Count Libenskof.
This production, also seen in Helsinki in January, was directed by Dario Fo. He provided a new text for some parts of the libretto, especially in the second act. The text was checked and adapted to the music by Rossini specialist Philip Gossett; it was inspired by poems by 19th century French poet Pierre Jean Béranger, who was put in jail under Charles X for his anti-monarchical ideas. The staging of Il viaggio a Reims is certainly not an easy task, given that it is more a cantata than an opera and action is minimal. Fo tried to give some life to the performance by adding mimes and extras; the final result was pleasant, even if not memorable. The orchestra was conducted by Nicola Luisotti.
La Scala continued the 2002-2003 season at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, after taking a summer break, with Donizetti's rarity, Ugo, conte di Parigi. The opera, a tragedia lirica in two acts, was written in 1831 on a libretto by Felice Romani, the author of many other librettos for Donizetti and Bellini, and premiered at La Scala in 1832 with a stellar cast, featuring Giuditta Pasta, Giulia Grisi and Domenico Donzelli.
On October 10 the Teatro Regio in Parma began an ambitious series of concerts in which highlights from all Verdi operas will be presented with top singers over the next five years. As October 10 is Verdi's birthday, the program has the title 'Buon Compleanno Maestro!'. Among the numerous singers, the ones who enjoyed a bigger success were Leo Nucci, who sang arias from Nabucco and I due Foscari, even though indisposed, and Fiorenza Cedolins, who sang in highlights from Ernani, Lombardi and in the final duet of I due Foscari together with Marcello Giordani. The tenor, who had earlier joined Elisabete Matos in a duet from Oberto, was also indisposed, and had serious problems finishing his part. The other tenor pieces should have been sung by Fabio Armiliato, who canceled, and was replaced by Valter Borin in Lombardi and Zvetan Michailov in Ernani. Bass Carlo Colombara, who had also canceled, was replaced by Riccardo Zanellato. Bruno Bartoletti conducted the orchestra of the Teatro Regio. The chorus, instructed by Martino Faggiani, enjoyed the greatest success, and encored both the chorus of Nabucco and that of Lombardi. The concert, announced in a big press conference last summer, was eagerly expected, but the final result remained much below expectations. Hopefully the series will have more success next year, when it is to feature highlights from Giovanna d'Arco, Alzira, Attila, Macbeth, I masnadieri and Il corsaro. © Silvia Luraghi, 29 October 2003 November
La Scala closed their second season at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi with a revival of Tosca. Daniela Dessí took on the title role, but had to cancel a number of performances due to a cold. Though announced as still indisposed, she sang beautifully and with deep commitment at the final performance. As her lover Cavaradossi, Salvatore Licitra displayed as usual a nice sound with secure top notes, but a rather monotonous interpretation; his breaths have become somewhat shorter than they used to be, and his intonation is still uncertain; this gives rise to some thoughts about the future of his international career. Launched as the new Pavarotti, Licitra seems to rather imitate the bad habits of his predecessor, without sharing his merits.
Carlo Guelfi was miscast as Scarpia. while he supplied the sheer vocal and technical capacities, his interpretation was unrefined, and his understanding of Scarpia stopped at the surface, without going into the details of this complex character. The production originally designed by Margherita Palli and directed by Luca Ronconi for the stage of La Scala featured big sets that reproduced original locations of the action in a somewhat distorted fashion; while they looked awkward at La Scala, they fitted better in the large stage of the Arcimboldi. The orchestra was insightfully conducted by Gary Bertini.
The Teatro Comunale in Bologna opened the new season with Verdi's rarity, I masnadieri. This opera, very seldom performed, has never been received very favorably by critics. Perhaps the libretto adapted by Andrea Maffei from Schiller does not provide a satisfying plot; or perhaps Verdi's style was evolving at the moment. Indeed the opera does not capture the audience, in spite of some beautiful musical moments, including the cello solo in the orchestral opening. There are some beautiful pages also for the singers, most notably for the soprano. Because Verdi wrote the part for Jenny Lind, a famous coloratura expert, his writing is unusual for the principal soprano, and reminds one of Gilda. But Amalia in Masnadieri, though similar to Gilda vocally, should be completely different as a character, which renders the interpretation particularly difficult.
The Circuito Regionale Lombardo presented a Cavalleria rusticana, in a double bill with a 1917 silent movie, Rapsodia satanica, with music by Mascagni performed live. The production opened at the Teatro Grande in Brescia, where it was performed on the 18 and 30 of November. The film, which had been restored for the occasion by the Cineteca Italiana in Milan, told of a sort of female Faust who receives eternal youth from the devil, provided that she gives up love. It was divided into three parts, which corresponded to different movements of the musical accompaniment. As the program notes explained, the composer had the chance to work closely with the director, Nino Oxilia, and even ask him to adapt some details of the action to the ideas he had for the score. While the movie was by no means memorable, the music that Mascagni composed while he had some financial problems, sounded very interesting and very operatic, suggesting the symphonic intermezzos from his operas.
© Silvia Luraghi, 1 December 2003 December
La Scala opened its new season, possibly the last one at the Arcimboldi theater, with a new production of Moïse et Pharaon, ou Le passage de la Mer Rouge. This opera, which is based on the earlier Mosè in Egitto, displays some features which became typical of French grand opera, including the ballet in the penultimate act. In comparison with the better known Italian opera, in the French version Rossini devoted more space to the historical setting, and left the private affairs and the love story between Anaï and Aménophis rather on the side.
The character of Moïse dominates the action from the beginning to the end; he does not strictly speaking have an aria of his own (the one he has in the Italian opera is left out), but he has several arioso pieces, including his famous prayer in the last act. In Milan, the role was authoritatively covered by Ildar Abrazakov, whose stage presence, vocal solidity, and stylistic appropriateness made for a perfect casting. As his antagonist Pharaon, Erwin Schrott displayed vocal power, but he did not seem at home in Rossini. More convincing was Giuseppe Filianoti, in the killing role of Pharaon's son Aménophis, who sang with ringing voice, homogenous range and perfect intonation, even though he sometimes seemed to force a little at the top. Sonia Ganassi was perfect as Sinaïde and brought down the house with her aria in the second act. Barbara Frittoli is not a Rossini singer: this said, she did her best as usual, especially in her big and extremely difficult aria in the fourth act, and certainly did not deserve to be booed at the end of the performance, as unfortunately happened on the opening evening.
The production by Luca Ronconi was luscious and fitted very well the big stage of the theater: the stage was divided in two levels, four big columns framed the upper level of the stage, and various devices created the setting for the four acts: a big organ at the back of the stage in the first act, two thrones in the second, balconies and an altar in the third; the fourth act featured a dessert setting, which at the end became the Red Sea and opened in front of the escaping Jews. The ballet in the third act was the weak part of the performance: the choreography was extremely static, and the interruption of the action was annoying: if it had been left out, the performance could have been much shorter because the intermission between the third and fourth act could also have been avoided (intermissions were another weak spot in the production, each being about 30 minutes long).
With the season 2003-2004, the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza inaugurates a five year program with the Fondazione Arturo Toascanini. It opened with a relatively lesser known Verdi opera Aroldo, the 1857 re-working of Stiffelio. As is well known, Stiffelio caused the composer problems with censorship, so he decided to withdraw it after a few years. Piave persuaded him to try and write a new version, moving the action to 1200. Verdi wrote some additional music for Aroldo, including an aria for the tenor in the first act and the entire fourth act.
The junction of old and new music was not completely unproblematic; furthermore moving the action back to the age of the Crusades had perhaps the advantage of escaping censors, but also had the effect of setting typically 19th century middle-class events in a completely unnatural historical background. The production by Pier Luigi Pizzi returned the events to the 19th century, with the advantage that everything regained some naturalness, but apart from that the director did not seem to have many ideas, and the performance remained very static.
Among the principals the best on stage was baritone Franco Vassallo (Egberto, corresponding to Stankar in Stiffelio), whose beautiful timbre and legato were accompanied by perfect diction and secure intonation. The role of Mina (Lina in Stiffelio) was taken by the young soprano Adriana Damato. This singer seems to have good vocal skills and an easy top, but displayed some flaws in the lower register, which prompted the feeling that she should rather stay in a more lyric repertoire, instead of attempting spinto roles, at least for the time being. Tenor Gustavo Porta in the title role had to replace Marco Armiliato, who was ill, and had problems trying to master the impervious score with uncertain intonation and a somewhat throaty emission. The orchestra was conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi.
The Teatro Regio in Turin presented an exhilarating production of Offenbach's operetta Orphée aux enfers, here in Italian translation as Orfeo all'inferno, in the four act version of 1874. Among the singers, Daniela Mazzuccato was a lively Euridice, and Max René Cosotti a witty Aristeo; the cast further included Marc Laho as Orfeo, Davide Livermore as Mercurio, Ugo Benelli as John Styx, and Patrizia Pace as Cupido.
The strength of the production lay in the theatrical skills of the singers, rather than in their vocal abilities: all the singers also proved to be accomplished comic actors and were able to alternate quite naturally between the spoken dialogues and the singing. The action was set in Turin at the turn of the 20th century, and the sets relied on old photos and engravings to recreate the atmosphere. Singers and dancers moved occasionally out of the stage and across the orchestra in among the audience, especially in the last act, when the final cancan was received with enthusiasm by the public.
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