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Vicente Martin i Soler,  L’Arbore di Diana: Soloists, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.Conductor: Rubén Dubrowsky. Teatro Martín i Soler (Palau de les Arts) de Valencia 21.12.2008 (JMI)

New Production.
Director: Daniel Slater.
Sets: Leslie Travers.
Costumes: Pedro Moreno.
Lighting: Chris Davey.

Cast:

Diana: Ofelia Sala.
Amore: Marina Comparato.
Endimione: Dmitri Korchak.
Doristo: Christian Senn.
Silvio: Joel Prieto.
Britomarte: Silvia Vázquez.
Clizia: Sandra Ferrández.
Cloe: Cristina Faus.

Until very recently Vicente Martin i Soler was known mostly by chance acquaintance with a reference that Mozart makes in Don Giovanni to the opera “Una Cosa Rara”. In Valencia, where Martin i Soler was born in 1754, a decision has been made to restore his work to the repertory and it is likely  that one of  his operas will be staged  every year from now on. An earlier attempt to revive Martin i Soler’s work  began in the  80s, although without  the continuity promised this time.

L’Arbore di Diana, by Lorenzo Da Ponte and Vicente Martín i Soler, is one of some sixty operas produced at the Vienna Burgtheater between 1783 and 1792.  L' Arbore di Diana was performed in  1983 in both Madrid and Valencia with  no less than Montserrat Caballé promised to sing the title role, although she unfortunately cancelled in the end. In recent years Christophe  Rousset offered Il tutore burlato and La Capriciosa Corretta and in Madrid we also had the opportunity to see performances of Il Burbero di buon cuore, Il tutore burlato and Ifigenia in Aulide. Finally, two years ago Valencia began recovering Martin i Soler’s work with L' Isola del piacere, followed  last year by  the opera-oratorio Philistaei a  Jonatha dispersi. Now  we have L’Arbore di Diana which  many consider as the composer’s masterpiece.

Martin i Soler was a great success at the end of 18^th century, whose work enjoyed enormous popularity, particularly his Viennese operas. His success had much to do with the collaboration with Lorenzo Da Ponte, author of the librettos of what can be considered as the Viennese trilogy, Il Burbero di buon cuore, Una cosa rara and L’Arbore di Diana. So it  is not particularly odd that Mozart refers  to Una cosa rara in  Don Giovanni, because with Martin i Soler we are speaking of a composer (and an opera)  who  enjoyed enormous popularity in Vienna, even greater than that of Salzburg’s genius.

In this context, nothing seems more natural than the attempt to revive works by  such a prestigious composer, consigned into  near oblivion by  the eruption of  romanticism in operatic history. In this context, it is  good to remind ourselves  that Mozart’s operas, with  very few exceptions, were also rarities before World War II, something difficult to understand nowadays.

L' Arbore di Diana is a magnificent and most original opera, in which a first class composer is joined by a brilliant  librettist. The work deals with the rivalry between Diana and Amore, finishing with the triumph of the latter over the goddess. We are not talking of the innocent and romantic Love here, but of an divertimento about love far beyond the chaste conventions of Diana and her nymphs. In  Così fan Tutte,  Da Ponte offers a libretto full of purity,  while with L' Arbore di Diana, he gives us a story full of  eroticism and an ambiguity, something difficult to imagine as suited to imperial Vienna at the  end of 18^th century.  If Così Fan Tutte is also known also as  the ‘School for Lovers,’ this opera by Martin i Soler takes love to  university so to speak.  Musically too,  it is a very important work, with many pages of great brilliance and difficulty. Diana’s aria “Sento che Dea io son” is a bravura piece requiring enormous vocal  agility, easily  and comparable to the music for  the Queen of the Night. The duet for Amore and Doristo is also a real delight full of cunning and ambiguity and the concertante closing Act I is magnificent. In  the second act there are more gorgeous pages, another aria for Diana and  hugely enjoyable  trio for both of the  tenors and Amore, whose persona is rather like that of a more original Despina. The three nymphs remind us  a good deal of   the three Ladies of  Magic Flute, although each one has an  arietta in this case. In short, this is a classical of great originality and musical quality.

The originality of the plot is actually revealed in the title, since Diana plants her tree as a device for testing her nymphs’ virtue in contest of power with Amor. The tree has the ability to shower the nymphs with harmonious sounds from its golden apples if they remain virtuous but if they fail,  the fruits turn black and become harmful, wounding or disfiguring the nymphs who they do not remain chaste. Amore fights back and in the end Diana herself is seduced by Endimione. Love’s triumph over chastity is total in the end.

The production is the work of Daniel Slater, who drew marvellous performances from the  actors. Sets are simple and attractive  with big  branches of the apple tree at the top, a spiral staircase to the right and a large window at the back, through which the sea can be seen (we are in an island according to libretto). The timeless classical costumes are attractive and there is very good lighting.

The Argentine - though of Polish origin - conductor  Rubén Dubrowsky was a major surprise at the pit. This young conductor has already a good reputation  in baroque music, particularly in Vienna, and his reading of the score was more than remarkable leaving an extremely positive impression. The Orchestra was once again at its best, a real luxury,  and without a doubt the Palau de les Arts greatest asset.  The cast also  showed a conspicuous homogeneity, something not easy to achieve in a mostly unknown opera.

Valencian soprano Ofelia Sala was an outstanding protagonist as Diana, in one of her most convincing performances. I believe that the character requires a heavier soprano and one can  understand that Montserrat Caballé had wanted to be Diana, although I think that 1983 was already too late for the Catalan diva. In any case, Ms. Sala was  outstanding, far better than her Susanna last month at Barcelona’s Liceu.

The character of Amore is a kind of a dream role for any singing actress and  any light mezzo soprano would undoubtedly like to play it, if the opera were better known. Although she was not outstanding as a singer, Marina Comparato won over the audience completely with her performance as an actress.

The young Russian tenor Dmitri Korchak was a very good Endimione, a kind of Tamino. He is a good singer, another  remarkable actor and cuts a good figure on stage. Little by little he is becoming a very interesting light-lyric tenor, although his voice is not one of exceptional beauty. Chilean Christian Senn was a fully convincing Doristo;  for me, giving his best performance until now. Puerto Rican Joel  Prieto, the last  Operalia winner, made a positive impression as Silvio. His is a truly beautiful light tenor and with a  good figure and an  easy manner on stage, he  should have a promising future. The trio of nymphs comprised three promising Valencian singers. Cristina Faus exhibited a beautiful voice as Cloe, Sandra Ferrández was a sparkling  Clizia  and Silvia Vázquez was a very well cast Britomarte.

The small 400 seat theater was packed. The audience enjoyed the performance enormously and gave sonorous  ovations to all the singers, specially to Ofelia Sala and Marina Comparato.

This is a very fine rediscovery: it’s just a pity that it will not not leave Valencia for other destinations.

José M Irurzun

Photos © Palau de les Arts, Valencia

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