All the Ingredients in Music and Vision 21 aprile

All the Ingredients GIUSEPPE PENNISI describes a rather half-baked 'Barber of Seville' About one year ago (see 'Orchestral Nuances' in Music & Vision, 21 April 2011), I presented a rather extended review of recent productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia which played in Parma, Palermo and a number of Provincial theatres in Tuscany and the Marche Region. A new and much awaited production was unveiled on 18 April 2012 in Rome; it is a joint venture with the Verdi Theatre in Trieste where it will be seen next year. Just to summarize my previous report, Il Barbiere di Siviglia is the only Rossini opera which has always been on stage, even during the Romanticism and Verismo periods when most of his productions had disappeared from the theatres of Europe and North America. The libretto is a lot of fun and the music sparkles like good, earthy red Lambrusco wine, whereas Paisiello's earlier Barbiere is sentimental and slightly melancholic. The Rossini opera is not merely slapstick. It is more subtle than it superficially appears to be. Dramatically and musically, Il Barbiere contrasts two parallel but quite distinct worlds: that of Figaro -- efficient, quick, someone who calls a spade a spade -- and that of all the other characters, left behind, fearful and yielding, verbose and bombastic. Even the good-looking and wealthy Almaviva is plaintive, although imbued with music of the highest elegance right from the beginning. But a mathematician or an economist would tell you from the start of the opera that according to game theory, the wits of Figaro and of Rosina would defeat all the others. Juan Francisco Gatell as Count Almaviva, Annalisa Stroppo as Rosina (in the window) and Alessandro Luongo as Figaro in Act I Scene 1 of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution For several decades, however, Barbiere was presented in a severely modified form: Rosina was sung by a light lyric soprano rather than by a mezzo or, even better, a coloratura alto (a rather rare bird, especially before the Baroque revival); the bravura tenor aria 'Cessa di più resistere' was just eliminated from the finale; and several other modifications were made to simplify and schematize the score. Vittorio Gui's detailed work on the original source materials for his 1942 revival in Florence did much to root out the worst mistreatments and adaptations that tradition had imposed on the opera; since the publication of Alberto Zedda's critical edition, Rossini's original text and score have been restored to general circulation, but the tradition of treating Barbiere as vulgar rump or an impersonal farce for slapsticks and marionettes rather than a comedy of character has not entirely vanished. An exemplary production was provided by Abbado and Ponnelle in 1968 at Salzburg and La Scala; it toured several continents. Also Zurich has recently offered excellent unabridged productions, featuring Cecilia Bartoli. Alessandro Luongo as Figaro in Act I Scene 1 of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution An opera reviewer would expect that a joint venture between the Rome and Trieste Opera Theatres would be up to Zurich Opera House standard. It is hard these days to conceive of anything similar to the fabulous La Scala production of the nineteen seventies when Abbado and Ponnelle assembled Prey, Berganza, Alva, Dara and Montarsolo in a staging still admired on DVD. Paolo Bordogna as Bartolo and three mimes in Act II Scene 1 of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution The stage direction is entrusted to well-known Italian director Ruggero Cappuccio who recently authored successful productions of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore and Verdi's La Battaglia di Legnano and who is rumored to have been engaged for a new Wagner Parsifal next season in Bologna. The musical direction is by the accomplished conductor Bruno Campanella, well reputed in Europe, the USA and Asia as a specialist of early eighteenth century opera. Cappuccio has a good team of stage designer (Carlo Savi), costumes (Carlo Poggioli) and lighting (Agostino Angelini). In the pit there is also a good harpsichordist: Sergio La Stella. The cast is young but well-appreciated: Juan Francisco Gatell, Paolo Bordogna, Annalisa Stroppa, Alessandro Luongo, Nicola Ulivieri, Laura Cherici, Ilya Silchukov, Fabio Tinalli and Giulio Cancelli sang on opening night, 18 April 2012 (the performance on which this review is based). Thus, there seemed to be all the ingredients for a perfect pudding. But it tasted half-baked. Hopefully, as the performances continue, many imperfections will be corrected. Juan Francisco Gatell as Count Almaviva, Alessandro Luongo as Figaro and Annalisa Stropo as Rosina in Act II Scene 2 of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution There is, however, a basic tenement: Il Barbiere di Siviglia is a perfect jewel, as Abbado and Ponnelle fully understood. Not a single word or note should be changed and there is no need for any innovative interpretation. Just sing it and act it well and have a small but brisk orchestra and a conductor full of passion. It would show all its splendor. Paolo Bordogna as Bartolo and Annalisa Stroppo as Rosina in the final scene of Act II of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution Cappuccio has two different keys to his interpretation. On the one hand, the twenty-four-year-old Rossini is often on stage whilst composing; thus, the opera is his dream in a stylized Seville. On the other, its plot is read as an apologue of generational conflict: to underscore this, Almaviva and Rosina wear white costumes whilst all the others have flashy attires like Capodimonte china statuettes. The first key is left halfway. The second key would be better resolved if the stage were not crowded with extras, clowns, and jugglers. All the singers are good actors and can also dance quite well. But there is just too much to digest: the pudding gets very heavy. Juan Francisco Gatell as Count Almaviva, Alessandro Luongo as Figaro, Annalisa Stroppo as Rosina and Paolo Bordogna as Bartolo in the final scene of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2012 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution In the musical part, Campanella appeared tired: his conducting lacked energy, was not as sparkling as required and especially did not support the singers as expected. Gatell (Almaviva) is a good lyric tenor with a clear timbre; he was perfect in the first act and raised expectation that he would deliver quite well in the tricky final aria Cessa di più resistere, but the aria was cut, thus the opera ended almost like a Cimarosa opera buffa -- a little concertato devoid of any enthusiasm. Annalisa Stroppa (Rosina) is a mezzo with a very dark tint; she was one of the best elements of the performance. Also Alessandro Luongo (Figaro), Nicola Uliveri (Basilio), Paolo Bordogna (Bartolo) and Laura Cherici (Berta) know their respective roles inside out. I wish they had better support from the pit. There was plenty of applause and even ovation. The audience loves Il Barbiere di Siviglia and is not made up of stern reviewers. Copyright © 21 April 2012 Giuseppe Pennisi, Rome, Italy GIOACCHINO ROSSINI THE BARBER OF SEVILLE TEATRO DELL'OPERA ROME ITALY << M&V home Concert reviews Richard Roddis Singers >>