Torre del Lago is
situated between the Lake of Massaciuccoli
and the Tyrrhenian Sea, four kilometres
from the beaches of Viareggio on the
Tuscan Riviera, 18 kilometres from
Lucca and Pisa. Since 1930 the Puccini
Festival has been held there in the
open-air theatre with around 40 000
visitors every year, just a few steps
from Villa Mausoleum where Puccini
lived and worked. In November 1924
Puccini wrote in a letter to Giovacchino
Forzano, the librettist to Suor
Angelica and Gianni Schicchi
and director of the first performance
of Turandot at La Scala in
1926: "… I always come out here
and take a boat to go and shoot snipe
… but once I would like to come here
and listen to one of my operas in
the open air…". This was never
to be since Puccini died shortly afterwards
in a clinic in Brussels, but his wish
stayed in Forzano’s memory and a few
years later he and Pietro Mascagni
started to organize a performance
of La Bohème. A provisional
theatre was built with the stage on
piles stuck in the lake and on 24
August 1930 a touring opera company
gave the first performance, directed
by Forzano, conducted by Mascagni
and with Rosetta Pampanini, Margherita
Carosio, Angelo Minghetti and Luigi
Montesano among the soloists. The
following year Beniamino Gigli was
Rodolfo. Since then the festival has
grown steadily and attracted many
of the world’s leading singers and
conductors. In 1966 the present theatre
was built and for this year’s (2008)
festival a new theatre is under construction
and will be inaugurated for the 150th
anniversary of Puccini’s birth.
This DVD, filmed
during last year’s festival, is a
worthy tribute to Maestro Puccini
and the Old Theatre, which has served
so well during more than forty years.
The stage is wide and occasionally
one feels that it is at odds with,
at least, the setting of the first
and last act of La Bohème,
which takes place in a small attic
in Paris. However, set designer Jean-Michel
Folon’s inventive solutions reduce
the problems and from the outset the
viewer is engrossed by the performance.
All through the four acts the action
takes place on a slightly raised ‘stage-within-the-stage’
in the shape of an artist’s palette.
In the second act, at Café
Momus, the brightly coloured table-cloths
become spectacular splashes of paint.
A large screen, covering the greater
part of the background, is used entertainingly
and informatively to underline aspects
of the performance. We are shown the
roofs of the surrounding houses, as
seen from the attic and in the opening
scene of act one, where Rodolfo is
writing a poem and Marcello is painting
– obviously he was a fore-runner to
Mark Rothko – and on the screen well-known
and lesser known paintings march past.
It is certainly a stimulating production
– one to return to and enjoy.
And it is not only
the visual aspects that are attractive.
The cast of – mainly – young singers
is excellent and they act very well.
Norma Fantini, who has star billing
on the box, is really great as Mimi:
expressive, believable and singing
with beauty and intensity. Mi chiamano
Mimi is a real showstopper. And
before that we have heard Che gelida
manina sung with such glow, such
beauty and with so ringing a high
C that one reaches for the booklet
to find out which of the world famous
tenors it is. We find there the name
Massimiliano Pisapia, who should be
world famous if there is any justice
in this world and probably will be.
He is already well established in
several countries, including Japan
and Argentina. This Turin-born singer
has style, is more nuanced than most
and has none of the exhibitionist
features of his teacher, Franco Corelli.
He is also an excellent actor. This
also goes for baritone Gabriele Viviani,
whose darkish timbre and dashing appearance
make him an ideal Marcello. Born in
Lucca and having studied with Regina
Resnik, he is on the threshold of
an international career. Londoners
may have heard both these singers
last season in recital at St. John’s
Smith Square.
Donata D’Annunzio
Lombardi is a brilliant Musetta and
Andrea Patucelli sings Colline’s coat
aria in the last act with such hushed
intensity and warmth that one understands
the applause that unfortunately for
a few seconds breaks the spell of
the performance. It should also be
mentioned that Schaunard, a role that
is normally allotted to comprimario
singers, is here classily sung by
the sonorous Massimiliano Valleggi.
Stewart Robertson leads his forces
in a well-paced performance, further
contributing to the overall excellence.
A feast for eye as well as ear!
Göran
Forsling