PS Un “blogger” non è un oracolo e commette inevitabilmente errori (il minimo possibile..). Ricevo spesso “correzioni” non sempre fondamentali e non sempre precise. Così come io mi sottopongo al giudizio altrui con nome e cognome così chi vorrà avere la bontà di segnalarmi eventuali errori o imprecisioni dovrà farlo unicamente mandando un commento: a ognuno la propria responsabilità. In base alla nuova normativa chi si fosse iscritto e desidera de-iscriversi è sufficiente che mi invii un messaggio e-mail..

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

An early work by Donizetti (and only recently revived), which clearly reveals the young composer’s inexperience in dealing with a libretto that perhaps was intended to be serious but also displays a playful side. One of the characters even seems to echo Leporello. In fact, the opera is full of references: first and foremost to Rossini, with two unmistakably Rossinian crescendos in the overture and the first act, as well as the “cheti cheti” passage at the beginning of the second act; there are also nods to Mayr, to Baroque theater with a male protagonist sung by a soprano, and more. At the same time, one can already detect musical traits that would later become characteristic of Donizetti’s mature operas. In short, it is something of an “artist’s apprenticeship piece,” one that at times possesses a freshness well suited to the directorial approach adopted here. What was perhaps intended by its creators as a serious drama is transformed here into a kind of opera buffa, also through the by-now overused device of “theater within the theater.” All the characters behave as parodies of dramatic theater, both in their gestures and expressions. The production choice is to expose the backstage of the little theater as well, featuring a director frantically trying to impose his vision on the singers, while the singers themselves quarrel, prepare for their entrances, and, in one case, engage in a flirtation. However, this conceit quickly begins to wear thin, resulting in a repetitiveness that ultimately becomes tiresome, even if it is, of course, greatly appreciated by a not overly discerning audience. The vocal performances were not uniformly strong. While Dave Monaco delivered an excellent performance as Guido (the opera’s villain), and Omar Montanari was equally convincing as Gilberto (the work’s “Leporello” figure), Teresa Iervolino’s Enrico was less successful, falling short in some of the principal arias. The same can be said of Giuseppina Bridelli as Elisa. All the other cast members displayed solid professionalism, with the exception of Christian Collia as Pietro, whose vocal performance never quite reached an acceptable standard.Conductor Corrado Rovaris led the performance effectively, although he can be faulted for adopting tempos that were at times excessively brisk, putting the singers under considerable strain. Overall, this is a serious opera turned comic, deserving no more than a modest passing grade. Unsurprisingly, it was a success with the audience.

PS. My posts lack the usual historical‑musical introduction to the opera that is standard practice in reviews. It seems pointless to duplicate what can easily be found in newspaper articles: Kurvenal deals only with what is staged, cutting away all the background

PS I would kindly ask the readers of this blog to  register  (which implies nothing) which can be easily made  by “clicking” the black square above each post. By so doing they will receive an e-mail message whenever a new post is published.

PS A “blogger” is not an oracle and inevitably makes errors (the minimum possible..). I often receive “corrections” not always fundamental and not always accurate. Just as I submit myself to the judgement of others with the name and surname so those who want to have the goodness to report errors or inaccuracies will have to do so only by sending a comment: everyone has his own responsibility.

Per un elenco aggiornato di tutti i precedenti  posts di questo blog con i corrispondenti links

PS  Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che inseriscono commenti  ai posts utilizzando l’opzione “Lascia un commento”  (o “commenti” se ne sono già stati inseriti) prevista nella sezione sinistra (o prima del testo per schermi ridotti come i tablets) dei posts stessi affinchè tutti possano leggerli.  Il dibattito è sempre interessante per tutti…..grazie (è indispensabile lasciare nome e cognome – i commenti anonimi non saranno pubblicati)!!