Angela Meade wants to be a Primadonna!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Our sojourn by the Adriatic sea opened officially on August 17, with an afternoon recital of\u00a0 soprano Angela Meade<\/strong>, a Metropolitan Opera stalwart not only in heavy Verdi repertoire but also as the eponymous Queen in the Met\u2019s latest production of Rossini\u2019s \u00abSemiramide<\/em>\u00bb. She opened her program at the Teatro Rossini<\/strong> with an honestly sung, stylish and straightforward rendition of \u00abCasta Diva<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb from Vincenzo Bellini<\/strong>\u2019s \u00abNorma<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb. Her somewhat piercing tone in this modest sized ambience impeded unequivocal applause, as more limpid sounds and a wealthier vocal palette seem indispensable in this of all music. The Bellini chapter of the recital was completed with the thematically linked to \u00abNorma<\/em>\u00bb \u00abVaga Luna<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb,\u00a0 an arietta bringing to evidence the artist\u2019s sensitive phrasing and clear diction.<\/p>\n Meade belongs to the league of artists who pay the price of their big voice and the demanding roles they serve, with a limited ability to excel in the more intimate and discreet world of the Lied. In this respect Mme Meade was wise enough to proceed with less familiar items (4 m\u00e9lodies<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong> and an air) from the feather of\u00a0 the still underrated Giacomo Meyerbeer<\/strong>. Not only these provided substantial opportunities for Giulio Zappa <\/strong>to shine, her excellent partner at the piano, \u00a0but also the songs, written in unashamedly grand operatic manner, proved full of revolutionary impetus (Le voeu pendant l\u2019 orage<\/em><\/strong>) and rhythmic vigour (La fille de l\u2019 air<\/em><\/strong>), indeed like bleeding chunks from some imaginary grand op\u00e9ra<\/em> in which the composer excelled. Only the last of the four (Sicilienne<\/em><\/strong>) provided opportunities for soft singing with sudden or gradual piani crowning the soprano\u2019s achievement. And indeed they paved fitfully the way for Isabelle\u2019s aria from the composer\u2019s 5-act \u00abRobert le diable<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb (1831). Hers was a tremendous all round interpretation that justly earned her thunderous applause, crying out for a revival of the opera especially for her by some enterprising theatre.<\/p>\n An Arabesque<\/em><\/strong> (op.20) by Robert Schumann<\/strong> found Zappa producing delicate sounds that paved the way, in their last measures, for the second entrance of the Primadonna. Erich Wolfgang Korngold<\/strong>\u2019s \u00ab Gl\u00fcck Das Mir Verblieb<\/strong><\/em> \u00bb from his best known opera \u00abDie tote Stadt<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb forms, according to the late Marcel Prawy<\/strong>, the last big melody in operatic history and has remained a favorite ever since the opera\u2019s premiere, irrespective of its subsequent neglect for decades. Meade\u2019s reading failed to take off, owing mainly to a deliberately slow tempo, which further exposed the missing voluptuousness of her voice. The final bunch of Richard Strauss<\/strong> Lieder provided further evidence of the soprano\u2019s operatic approach, making heavy weather for instance of the delightful \u00ab St\u00e4ndchen<\/strong><\/em> \u00bb, crying out for a lightness of touch and a smile in the voice, or of an equally pompous final \u00abZueignung<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb, essentially lacking in Straussian ecstasy.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, enthusiastic applause rewarded the Diva\u2019s hors programme<\/em> stylish, full blooded and spontaneous readings of the act 1 arias \u00abIo son l\u2019umile ancella<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb from Francesco Cilea<\/strong>\u2019s \u00abAdriana Lecouvreur<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb and \u00ab Ebben<\/em><\/strong>?\u00a0Ne andr\u00f2 lontana<\/strong><\/em> \u00bb from Alfredo Catalani<\/strong>\u2019s \u00abLa Wally<\/strong>\u00bb. The third and last encore lightened the mood and offered an autobiographical reference to the soprano\u2019s American identity. The humorous \u00abI want to be a Primadonna<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb may mark an already fulfilled wish for this special artist, but it widened also our awareness of American music we still seem to ignore in this part of the Atlantic. The official title of this little gem is \u00abArt is calling for me<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb and it derives from the 1911 Broadway comic opera \u00abThe Enchantress<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb by Victor Herbert<\/strong>. Sung with such ingenious flair, it brought the concert to an enchanting conclusion, with an overlong held final note that deservedly brought this venerable theatre literally down.<\/p>\n Uncut Semiramide of Wagnerian proportions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Less than 2 hours later, we were seated in the Arena<\/strong> formerly known as Adriatic and recently renamed as Vitrifrigo<\/strong> for what is not only the lengthiest opera by Gioacchino Rossini<\/strong>, but also among very few of similar proportions in the whole operatic repertoire. \u00abSemiramide<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb, a melodramma tragico<\/em> by Gaetano Rossi<\/strong>, comprises a first act, lasting 140 minutes (only \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00abG\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung<\/em>\u00bb\u2019s \u00a0joint Prologue and Act 1 and \u00abDie Meistersinger von N\u00fcrnberg<\/em>\u00bb\u2019s \u00a0Act 3, both by Richard Wagner challenge these temporal proportions!), and an act 2, lasting another 120 minutes. The above durations, attained by the late Alberto Zedda <\/strong>and Philip Gossett <\/strong>in their latest critical edition of the opera for the Fondazione Rossini<\/strong>, were respectfully safeguarded in this new production, leaving no one in doubt of missing not even a note of Rossini\u2019s uniquely ambitious composition. Whether one should be so adamant regarding an ageing public\u2019s endurance remains to be pondered, especially taking into account the fact that the Wagnerian colossi, as presented at the Bayreuth Festival, in many -but not all- respects Pesaro\u2019s counterpart, impose hour long intervals between acts, for attendants to relax, absorb and refresh before the next demanding instalment. In this respect, the brief interval between the huge acts of \u00abSemiramide<\/em>\u00bb was clearly insufficient and we tend to suppose that, in view of the performance\u2019s excellence, the lukewarm applause for the artists, at the end of a long evening, had less to do with their considerable achievement and more with the physical exhaustion of the otherwise grateful recipients of their labour.<\/p>\n Not that Graham Vick<\/strong>\u2019s new production for the Rossini Opera Festival<\/strong> and the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Royal de la Monnaie<\/strong><\/em>, Brussels, attained the charismatic level of his \u00abGuillaume Tell<\/em>\u00bb achievement. The action was transposed to a capitalist dynastic milieu, contrasting with the shaman like primeval clergy and Indian prince\u2019s Idreno exotism. A huge pair of eyes dominated the proceedings, alternating with the black and white photo of an eyeless murdered king Nino recognised by many as Alberto Zedda himself, a nice latent homage to his 90th<\/sup> birthday anniversary. This somewhat incoherent frame of action (both scenery and costumes by Stuart Nunn<\/strong>) were meant to focus the interest to the p\u00e9ch\u00e9 originaire<\/em> of a latent past that dictates actions, behaviours and outcome of the drama. A simple bed to the right of the stage was there during the lengthy overture and remained there hosting traumatic experiences of the bloody incident nested in little Ninias\u2019s soul, represented by his equally blood stained teddy bear. This remarkable symbolism attained nevertheless a crude and involuntarily comic dimension as a huge copy of the emblematic plaything overwhelmed the stage. To the assets of the production was a firm and meaningful Personenregie<\/em>. Less successful though, in spite of her indisputable stage allure, was the choice to present Arsace, the intermittently grown up Ninias, not en travestie<\/em>, as prescribed in the play, but \u00a0as a woman, misleading first time viewers to the erroneous conclusion that Semiramide\u2019s advances were not only unknowingly incestuous but also openly lesbian!<\/p>\n The musical part fared better as it was superbly presided by Michele Mariotti<\/strong> conducting the mostly superb Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai<\/strong>. Together they illuminated many details in Rossini\u2019s deft writing for the orchestra and received, ever since the enthusiastically acclaimed overture, the biggest share of ovation. Furthermore, he supported his singers with a meticulous and savant care for clear articulation, phrasing and colouring of their text and music. Salome Jicia<\/strong>\u2019s eponymous Queen was sung with full tone throughout the demanding vocal range of the role, with only some very exposed notes found wanting in substance. She matched ideally with Varduhi Abrahamian<\/strong>\u2019s alternately heroic and tender Arsace, an all round indomitable portrayal to be reckoned with and an indisputable favourite of the public. Although the possessor of a less imposing voice than his ROF predecessors Samuel Ramey and Ildar Abdrazakov, young bass Nahuel di Pierro<\/strong><\/em> rose to the challenge of Assur\u2019s role by means of remarkable musicality and a believably urgent stage presence, less the villain of the plot and more a victim of his own manipulation by the Queen, due to his far from subdued ardour for her. Stepping in as priest Oroe, bass Carlo Cigni<\/strong> proved a welcome, phonogenous addition to the cast. A meanwhile veteran in Pesaro, tenor Antonino Siragusa<\/strong> impressed once more with his ringing top notes for the demanding arias of Prince Idreno, but the uncut version of his music exposed even more the comparatively insufficient evolution of Princess Azema\u2019s character (the visually enchanting soprano Martiniana Antonie<\/strong>), much referred to but actually with very little to act and sing. Full marks also for the imposing young Russian bass Sergey Artamonov<\/strong> as Nino\u2019s Shadow, baritone Alessandro Luciano <\/strong>as a luxury casting for the secondary role of Mitrane and the lively Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso<\/strong> led by Giovanni Farina<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Sins of youth<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Transferring from the somewhat inconvenient Vitrifrigo Arena to the central Teatro Rossini and from a ripe masterpiece, as \u00abSemiramide<\/em>\u00bb nowadays tends to be regarded, to the first operatic venture of a barely adolescent Rossini was a nice turn in our Pesaro sojourn. For one and to appease prospective newcomers to this delightful early attempt to a dramma serio<\/em>, \u00abDemetrio e Polibio<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb is no homoerotic love story. This early commission to the 15 year old maestrino<\/em> by the renowned tenor of the time Domenico Mombelli for his family opera company, on a libretto by his wife Vinzenza <\/strong>Mombelli<\/strong>, n\u00e9e<\/em> Vigan\u00f2<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0, goes back to the Seleucid Hellenistic kingdom. It is the story of the persecuted prince Siveno (a contralto role), son of King Demetrius II \u00abVictorious\u00bb (in Greek \u00ab\u039d\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03c1\u00bb, 146-139 and 129-125 b.C., a tenor), entrusted to and raised fondly by King Polybio (bass), seeked as an adult by his real father and in love with Polibio\u2019s daughter princess Lisinga (soprano). There is a happy ending formed by a recognition scene that leads to universal love and friendship.<\/p>\n The opera was presented in a new airing (Alessandra Premoli<\/strong>) of the 2010 ROF production signed by Davide Livermore<\/strong>, who places the action to a ghastly backstage theatre ambience, after a performance, with the four characters performing fire magic, coupled to well directed shadows and with mirrors enhancing the sparse action. Musically the work was entrusted to the experienced Paolo Arrivabeni<\/strong> conducting the semi – professional Coro del Teatro della Fortuna M. Agostini<\/strong> and a greatly improving (thanks to maestro Donato Renzetti\u2019s efforts) Filarmonica Gioacchino Rossini<\/strong>. As for the soloists, we enjoyed greatly all four of them, presided by the exceptional Australian Belcanto mistress Jessica Pratt<\/strong> who seemed to relish in the demands of her taxing part possessing every secret of this repertory. She combined exquisitely with the young, charming and promising contralto Cecilia Molinari<\/strong>, who provided smooth and well schooled singing, befitting Rossini\u2019s birthplace. Tenor Juan Francisco Gatell<\/strong> as Demetrio, an internationally renowned belcantist, belied credibly on stage his amazingly youthful looks and excelled in clear and styling singing of ringing quality, well matched by young bass Riccardo Fassi<\/strong> as Polibio.<\/p>\n For the following evening we were again on our tedious way to the Vitrifrigo Arena<\/strong> for \u00abL\u2019 Equivoco Stravagante<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb, an enchanting dramma giocoso<\/em> by young Rossini on a libretto by the Bolognese statesmann Gaetano Gasbarri<\/strong>,\u00a0 extremely contested in its time but genuinely post modern in contemporary terms of perception, that had led to an unsuccessful premiere (Bologna, Teatro del Corso, 26\/10\/1811)\u00a0 and ultimately to the withdrawal of the work altogether, after its 3rd<\/sup> performance. The story centres around Ernestina (powerful yet smooth contralto Teresa Iervolino<\/strong>), a wishful literate of comically inadequate education, torn between Ermanno (the clear voiced tenor Pavel Kolgatin<\/strong>, a young singer of considerable promise), in love with her, whose feelings, in her confusingly amusing way, she reciprocates, and wealthy boorish Buralicchio (delightfully vivid and robust baritone Davide Luciano<\/strong>), whom her nouveau riche<\/em> father, Gamberotto (Paolo Bordogna<\/strong> in the full maturity of his basso buffo career) \u00a0intends as her bridegroom. The story culminates as the pair of servants Rosalia (soprano Claudia Muschio<\/strong>) and Frontino (tenor Manuel Amati<\/strong>) misinform Buralicchio about Ernestina\u2019s supposedly fake identity as \u2026 a castrated son of Gamberotto, dressed up as a woman and deserter of the army!<\/p>\n The frantic atmosphere of the work is full of character and the music is blessed with Rossini\u2019s originality of invention, present already in a highly sophisticated overture. The spirited production by Moshe Leiser<\/strong> and Patrice Caurier<\/strong>, with imaginative and stylish scenery by Christian Fenouillat<\/strong>, as well as tactfully retouched epoch costumes by Agostino Cavalca<\/strong> was further stimulated by the vivid and refined baton of Carlo Rizzi<\/strong> conducting \u00a0Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso<\/strong>, led by Giovanni Farina<\/strong>, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai<\/strong>, sadly with its contract with ROF expiring this season.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.criticscorner.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Angela-Meade-at-Teatro-Rossini-di-Pesaro-17.08.2019-1-credito-Studio-Amati-Bacciardi.jpg\")
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