After the Earthquake in Music and Vision 8 marzo

After the Earthquake
Operas for reconstruction at L'Aquila,
reported by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

Who remembers The Third Man, Carol Reed's film noir on spying in Vienna in the years immediately after World War II? Vienna was shown as a devastated town divided in various sections (according to the nationality of the occupying armies) and where public transport and just about everything else only worked approximately. In that Vienna, the Marshall Plan delegation had asked the City Council to provide a list of their priorities: according to the Council, the top thing to do would have been the reconstruction of the much beloved Opera House-on-the-Ring, the world famous Staatsoper. The Marshall Plan officials were flabbergasted but eventually had to concede. In fact, after the denial by the US staff, the City Council approved a specially earmarked tax, the population chipped in with contributions, and eventually also the Marshall Plan chaps opened the wallet. The design was similar to the original with some modernization in keeping with the technology of the 1950s. In order to achieve a good acoustic, wood was the favored building material, at the advice of, among others, Arturo Toscanini. In addition, the number of seats in the parterre was reduced, and the fourth gallery, which had been fitted with columns, was restructured so as not to need columns. The facade, entrance hall and the Schwind Foyer were restored and remain in their original style. The Staatsoper reopened with a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio conducted by Karl Böhm and followed by other eight masterpieces; great singers and great conductors used, as much as possible, stage sets and costumes stored during the conflict. The reconstruction of the Staatsoper gave a jump to the efforts to rebuild the town to its past splendor.

Carlo Riccioli and Marco Zannoni in 'Partita a Pugni' at Rome's Teatro Olimpoco. Photo © 2012 Stefano Spina. Click on the image for higher resolution
Nearly three years ago, the Italian Abruzzi Region was, to a large extent, destroyed by a major earthquake. Its regional capital, L'Aquila, used to be the most important northern town of the Kingdom of Naples before Italy's unification 150 years ago. The city center had been exquisitely built and starred marvelous churches and lavish palaces. Now, all this is only a mass of ruins. In July 2009, the annual G20 summit meeting was held near L'Aquila and each Head of State adopted a monument for refurbishing and reconstruction. Very little practical action has, until now, taken place.

Carlo Riccioli, Marco Zannoni and Max René Cosotti in 'Partita a Pugni' at Rome's Teatro Olimpoco. Photo © 2012 Stefano Spina. Click on the image for higher resolution
Nonetheless, like in The Third Man Vienna, the start of operations in the neo-classical eighteenth century opera house could be the turning point. The auditorium is still non-operational rubble. But on 25 February 2012, in the grand-foyer (miraculously still in a decent state), a double bill was presented.

Daniela Mazzucato and Carlo Riccioli in 'Frecciarotta' at Rome's Teatro Olimpoco. Photo © 2012 Stefano Spina. Click on the image for higher resolution
The double bill is a co-production of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, the Amici per la Musica Society of Foligno and the Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese -- three comparatively small but distinguished institutions. The bill is made up of two mini-operas requiring almost no stage sets and just a few props. They are comparatively short: Partita a Pugni by Vieri Tosatti (1920-1999) lasts twenty minutes, and Frecciarotta by Riccardo Panfili (born in 1979) some forty minutes. They need very few singers and an actor. In short, they are shoestring productions that travel easily in provincial theaters. The smaller the theater, the stronger the impact. I saw the double bill on 23 February 2012 in the Teatro Olimpico in Rome -- a large auditorium of the 1950s with nearly one thousand eight hundred seats. No doubt, in the foyer of L'Aquila Teatro Comunale they would be more effective, even though they require a symphony orchestra and a well-sized chorus. They are two contemporary 'reality' operas in that they are based on current events. However, they are quite different in style. Partita a Pugni by Vieri Tosatti had been composed for the 1953 Venice contemporary music festival and has been performed at La Fenice with great success. In the Sixties, it was performed in several Italian theatres and there is also a rhythmic English translation by Chester Kallman, titled The Prize Fight. It seems that it was performed in the US, especially in music schools. However, in the mid-sixties, Tosatti withdrew the score to provide a shorter version with a lighter orchestra. This 'chamber edition' is now premiered. The plot is simple: an introduction and three rounds in a 'boxing ring' in some popular Roman fighting hall. The Italian libretto is in Roman dialect; the two boxers are a baritone (Carlo Riccioli) and a tenor (Max René Cosotti); the referee is a comic actor (Marco Zannoni); the chorus is the crowd. The score is strictly tonal; indeed, the three rounds sound like three short duets from verismo operas not very different from the modernization of verismo that Gian Carlo Menotti was working on in Philadelphia, roughly at the same time. At a couple of moments, there are references to verismo tragedies (like Leoncavallo's Pagliacci or Giordano's La Cena delle Beffe) but the situation and the music is generally funny.

Carlo Riccioli, Marco Zannoni and Max René Cosotti in 'Partita a Pugni' at Rome's Teatro Olimpoco. Photo © 2012 Stefano Spina. Click on the image for higher resolution
Frecciarotta by the young composer Riccardo Panfili (now busy composing text and music for an opera on the Fiorentina football team) is just hilarious. Freccia means 'arrow' but it is also the name of a variety of Italian high speed trains. Rotta means 'broken'. 'Frecciarotta' is the name of a railway worker (Marco Zannoni) in a broken high speed train left in the middle of nowhere whilst the passengers (the chorus) are protesting with very colorful innuendos in various Italian dialects. Meantime, the President of the company is trying to sell it to a brash Russian manager (the soprano Daniela Mazzucato) always surrounded by three abrasive secretaries (two sopranos -- Patrizia Perozzi and Lucia Eusebi -- and an alto -- Mariangela Marini). The deal is made and the President is fired by the new bosses. Nobody knows if the railway will work any better. The score is highly rhythmic. The vocal parts are mostly opening into arioso.
The orchestra was well conducted by Barcello Bufalini and the chorus directed by Paolo Speca.

Max René Cosotto in 'Partita a Pugni' at Rome's Teatro Olimpoco. Photo © 2012 Stefano Spina. Click on the image for higher resolution
Altogether, a pleasant double bill. Not to be compared, of course, with the engrossing Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schonberg; on Sunday 19 February the Teatro dell'Opera offered a performance in its smaller house (Teatro Nazionale) to celebrate its centenary. A lovely 11am aperitif performance, with sparkling wine and sandwiches, a superb young singer (Cristina Zavalloni) and a good Ensemble. I hope that they might make a trip to L'Aquila.
Copyright © 8 March 2012 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy

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