Dramatic Temperament

'Euridice' according to Salvatore Sciarrino,
heard by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

The National Academy of Saint Cecilia is Italy's oldest musical institution. Its statute and by-laws were approved in 1585 by the Pope (then governing Rome). It is also one of the most authoritative, being, along with La Scala, the only Italian musical institution to receive 'special treatment' — Government subsidies on a rolling three-year basis so that its program can be formulated well in advance. It is run by the 'Academicians': recently, a new and comparatively young chairman was elected, and Antonio Pappano agreed to serve as musical director at least until the end of 2019.

Its audience is, on average, quite mature, if not aged, and likes repertoire based on well-known composers from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, the Academy is making an effort to attract younger generations by using a vast gamut of devices. Among these are commissions from contemporary composers.

From left to right: soprano Barbara Hannigan, conductor Antonio Pappano and composer Salvatore Sciarrino, with (behind) members of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, receiving applause for Sciarrino's 'La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke' at Rome's Parco della Musica auditorium. Photo © 2015 Riccardo Musacchio and Flavio Ianniello. Click on the image for higher resolution

On 30 March 2015, I was at the third performance of a world premiere Euridice (with Italian spelling) by Salvatore Sciarrino. This is a half-hour monodrama based on a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, the Prague-born poet with a German education. The poem is part of Rilke's cycle of sonnets on Orpheus. The monodrama is an Italian adaptation (not a mere translation) of the original German text. As a matter of fact, the full title is La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke ('The New Eurydice according to Rilke').

As we all know, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is closely linked to the history of opera, from its very beginning to modern and contemporary developments. Both Salvatore Sciarrino and Antonio Pappano (who conducted the work) have a very strong dramatic temperament. The monodrama is essentially a 'cantata' for large orchestra and a dramatic coloratura soprano. Here we are far from Monteverdi, from two versions of Gluck's Orpheus recently reviewed (Skillfully Adapted, 26 February 2015, and Orpheus versus Orpheus, 14 June 2014) or from the futuristic all-encompassing Orfeide by Gian Francesco Malipiero — a 1924 masterpiece now seldom represented except in Germany (although the libretto and musical style are unmistakably Italian).

Euridice is a highly stylized monodrama with the very personal musical style of Salvatore Sciarrino which takes particular care on vocalizing. It depicts the downfall of Orpheus due to his lack of trust in Eurydice and in the gods. I found many points in common with Sciarrino's Lohengrin presented at La Piccola Scala in 1982.

Barbara Hannigan as soprano soloist with members of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Sciarrino's 'La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke' at Rome's Parco della Musica auditorium. Photo © 2015 Riccardo Musacchio and Flavio Ianniello. Click on the image for higher resolution

The orchestra, under Pappano's baton, with Barbara Hannigan as soloist, were superb in providing the right tints. Much to my surprise, the audience was enthusiastic and asked for the complete cantata to be encored — a request which couldn't be satisfied, also because the concert had a second part, very much in tone with Easter music: Bach's Magnificat with soloists Amanda Forsythe, José Maria Lo Monaco, Paolo Fanale and Christian Senn, with full chorus.

ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA

SALVATORE SCIARRINO

ANTONIO PAPPANO

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

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