Fabio Capitanucci / Recensies

The sinner Don Giovanni is an expert and easygoing Carlos Álvarez , who combines stage presence with a vocal power at the service of a mature character, a Don Giovanni who knows his stuff and does not have to prove anything to those around him. Brilliant and vocally fit, Mirco Palazzi's Leporello : witty anguished as much by the fate of his master as and above all by his own, it offers a vocal richness that goes far beyond its texture and a truly captivating interpretation. Among the victims of the dissolute, Erika Grimaldi's Donna Anna offers a heartfelt and heartfelt song, albeit with a particular voice that sometimes needs to open closed vowels to better direct the sound. The other seduced and also abandoned is a dynamicCarmela Remigio in the role of Donna Elvira: a whirlwind of a strong-willed and vindictive woman, who makes centers her strong point vocally, effective scenically. Anna's betrothed is a concentrate of sweetness and patience embodied in the tenor Juan Francisco Gatell . Being able to sing both of his arias in this production, for 'Dalla sua pace' he is literally 'lulled' by the orchestra giving a particularly incisive force to the words expressed. On the other hand, the agility as regards 'My treasure' in the second act can be perfected. Zerlina is a lively and by no means naive Rocío Ignacio , very breezy and who plays with his timbre the good Masetto of Fabio Maria Capitanucci . Finally, a great interpretation of the Commendatore byGianluca Buratto : his voice is wide and truly sonorous, which almost seems to dominate the orchestra when he sings in the pit as a statue. Maestro Daniele Rustioni conducts the orchestra of the Regio . Many colors of Mozart notes, precise and appropriate dynamics, maximum attention to the stage. The young conductor navigates safe water in the score and also seems to us to be in excellent feeling with the orchestra. In the most lyrical moments it is enriched with accents that almost move. Good performance by the choir directed by Andrea Secchi. Crowded hall, particularly satisfied audience with all the creators of the show, from the artists to the director.

On stage an uneven cast found its peak in Hasmik Torosyan (Leïla), a bel canto soprano whose silvery timbre and flawless agility are well suited to a character that appear to be like Norma, the priestess who breaks her chastity vows, were it not for the much less tragic mood. There was a rather colourless performance from French tenor Kévin Amiel who for Nadir's aria “Je crois entendre encore” – brought to fame by voices like those of Enrico Caruso, Alain Vanzo, Beniamino Gigli, Alfredo Kraus or Nicolai Gedda – delivered a modest and reduced version, although using the mezza voce requested by the composer. Pierre Doyen, replacing Fabio Capitanucci as Zurga at the last minute, proved to be better. The French baritone has a bright timbre and he elegantly defined the nobility of spirit of the man who saves his friend from death and lets him run away with the woman he has always loved. With these two interpreters one heard impeccable French diction and not the rather loose one of the chorus. The quartet of performers was completed by Ugo Guagliardo's coarse Nourabad. Julien Lubeck and Cécile Roussat's staging swayed between tackiness and naivety. After rejecting a directorial idea that could give greater depth and humanity to the characters, the two directors chose a decorativeness that seems taken from those old Christmas cards with sequins glued to the edges of the figures. Sinuous frames make up a diorama flooded with blue, red and gold light where two-dimensional characters act. The idea of using mime to recreate the pantomimes that were fashionable at Bizet's time clashes with modern taste and when Leïla's replica swirls around the two singers during one of the most beautiful operatic duets, you want to close your eyes. Birds, adequately glittered, are moved by mimes during Leïla's aria in Act 1 and the ubiquitous acrobatic dancers were rather annoying. A fair amount of applause welcomed the end of the show.

There were obvious additional challenges in the current environment. Instead of presenting Le nozze in villa in the newly renovated theater, the third Donizetti opera was presented online, filmed in a spectator-less opera house. Always following social distancing rules, director Davide Marranchelli and set designer Anna Bonomelli tried to take advantage of the situation, coming up with an imaginative mise-en-scène. The orchestra was placed on stage with the wind players behind a plexiglass screen. The auditorium was covered with green strips of artificial turf and, in a preamble to the performance. Le nozze in villa is the work of a young composer in the process of discovering his own path. The music does sound imitative, Rossini’s shadow looming high over the score (an aria sung by Nonna Anastasia, authoritative mezzo Manuela Custer, sounded very much like the one sung by Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia). Nevertheless, vocal ensembles were well balanced and the orchestral music was beautifully shaped with noticeable woodwinds interventions. Switching around from accompanying recitatives at the keyboard to conducting with great verve, Montanari led with confidence the historically informed instrumentalists of Gli originali and the Donizetti Opera Chorus, even if the synchronization between singers and orchestra was not always perfect. Meritoriously, he easily brought forward both the sparkling spirit and the melodiousness of the score. The most accomplished of the evening’s soloist was mezzo Gaia Petrone in the role of Sabina. She displayed a full, rounded, mellifluous voice in several arias. As her love interest, Claudio, tenor Giorgio Misseri became more and more assured as the evening progressed. Voices occasionally shaky, the two baritones – Omar Montanari (Don Petronio) and Fabio Capitanucci (Trifoglio) – acted with confidence, navigating with panache through the convoluted plot.