Giovanni Battista PERGOLESI (1710-1736)
Adriano in Siria - Dramma per musica in three acts (1734)
With the intermezzo Livietta e Tracollo (1734)
Adriano in Siria
Adriano - Marina Comparato (mezzo)
Emirena - Lucia Cirillo (mezzo)
Farnaspe - Annamaria dell’Oste (soprano)
Sabina - Nicole Heaston (soprano)
Osroa - Stefano Ferrari (tenor)
Aquilio Tribuno – Francesca Lombardi (soprano)
Livietta e Tracollo
Livietta - Monica Bacelli (mezzo)
Tracollo – Carlo Lepore (bass)
Accademia Bizantina/Ottavio Dantone
rec. Teatro G.B. Pergolesi, Jesi, 8 and 12 June 2010
Stage Director: Ignacio Garcia
Set Design: Zulima Memba del Olmo
Costume Design: Patricia Toffolutti
Lighting Design: Ignacio Garcia and Fabrizio Gobbi
Picture Format: NTSC / Colour / 16:9
Region code: All regions
Audio Format: LPCM 2.0; DTS Digital Surround
Booklet: English, French and German
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian
OPUS ARTE 
OA
1065 D [190.00 + 12:00 (bonus)]
If Photoshop, or similar, enables me to modify digitally my photographs, then
can the time be far distant when Soundshop, or similar, will enable me to
modify digitally a CD or DVD. Nothing sophisticated, just a volume control
to move between singers and orchestra, to reduce the volume of one or the
other.
I could but wish that I had had that facility for this production. I would
have turned down by a notch or two the volume of Ottavio Dantone’s Accademia
Bizantina. That would have brought into sharper focus the bright gleaming
sounds of a strong team of less well known singers. Please do not conclude
from that, that the Accademia is anything other than excellent: whether as
the whole Accademia for the opera of the title or the reduced group for the
intermezzo of Livietta e Tracollo. They sweep the music along in
fine style.
Although this production of the opera is not exactly as written by Pergolesi,
it is performed with the intermezzo of the original production. Ottavio Dantone
in a ‘bonus’ talk, ranges over Pergolesi as a composer, the historical position
of Pergolesi and the opera, intermezzi, the Jesi theatre and the singers.
He explains that this production is “...our version of Adriano...” . The intermezzo,
an inherent part of Neapolitan opera of the period, may be viewed either as
a comedic foil to the dramatic, noble events of the opera, or, more prosaically,
to stop the audience becoming restless and bored during scene changing.
No fear of boredom here. This is a ‘one set fits all’. You just need to be
quick of eye or ear to pick up precisely where the scene is: but frankly it
is not fundamental. This is just a great vehicle to set off some excellent
vocal performances; which harks back to it being written to enable Caffarelli,
the pre-eminent castrato of his day, to demonstrate his vocal prowess.
Metastasio’s original libretto was substantially re-written for Caffarelli,
taking the role of Farnaspe. A distinguished cast was assembled to celebrate
the birthday of the Spanish Queen Mother, whose son had just re-captured the
Kingdom of Sicily with its capital Naples. Where else would the first performance
take place but Naples itself, by then Pergolesi’s home.
So what of the plot? We are in Antioch circa 120AD. The Roman Emperor Hadrian
(Adriano) has defeated the Parthians led by their king Osroa and captured
Osroa’s daughter Emirena. This being opera, despite being betrothed to Sabina,
Adriano has fallen for Emirena, who herself is betrothed to Farnaspe a Parthian
prince or combatant. At which point the opera opens.
To add the necessary ‘plot stirrer’, Adriano’s accompanying Tribune, Aquilio,
is in love with Adriano’s betrothed Sabina. Aquilio encourages Adriano’s love
for Emirena so leaving Sabina free for himself. Interspersed with that continuing
theme, Osroa sets fire to the Roman camp, later mistakenly believes he has
killed Adriano, and is captured. So all is set for a tragic end: but no, this
is a birthday-celebration opera so all ends happily following Adriano’s self-revelatory
moment. Couples are reconciled, treachery forgiven and lands restored to pardoned
enemies. All this to lyrically melodic music with instrumentation to match.
Generalities are usually unsatisfactory. However one or two can be made usefully
about the standard of singing. The diction of all is admirable. They keep
an excellent musical line well focused on word and phrase at all times. They
are totally involved in the opera plot whether singing, watching or re-acting
to another. Heart and soul are put into their roles.
Marina Comparato, in the title role, has not the strongest voice, particularly
in her lower register, but this is more than made up for in splendidly clear
mid-note hitting , comfortable trills and confidant runs. Her first aria is
of conventional length but her two later ones, sadly, are less the two minutes
each.
Annamaria dell’Oste (Farnese, the part written for Caffarelli) has the highlights,
with arias closing Acts 1 and 2. Lieto così tal volta (DVD1, tr.19)
concluding Act 1 is accompanied by an oboe obbligato and pizzicato strings.
Strong runs, impressive sound in her upper reaches and crystal clear notes
distinguish this performance. With the oboe player placed at the side of the
stage, the interaction of musical phrases between oboe and voice is absorbing.
The Act 2 closing aria Torbido in volto e nero (DVD 2, tr.14) could
perhaps have benefited from stronger dynamics. The outstanding runs and trills,
together with controlled coloratura, never turn the vocal display into a personal
tour de force. It remains within role and part of the overall performance
of the opera, not a ‘Caffarelli stand alone and admire me’ aria.
Lucia Cirillo (Emirena) brings a warm tone with a soupçon of cream.
She needs her telling facial expressions to accompany her character, pushed
from Farnaspe to Adriano and back again with a hell-raising father. Good acting,
expressive recitatives, coloured low notes and delightful diminuendo,
mark a distinguished performance. Her voice and that of dell’Oste balance
so well in the only duet.
Nicole Heaston (Sabina) earns the strongest audience applause for her aria
Chi soffre senza planto (DVD1 tr.12). Rejected by Adriano, manipulated
by Aquilio, she needs that acting and vocal versatility so well shown here.
Great breath control for some deliciously long-held ringingly clear high notes
which she can send floating around the auditorium; all that with excellent
coloratura, of the non-firework variety, but no less satisfying for that.
Whilst not having quite the heft to power out his arias, Stefano Ferrari (Osroa),
as the attempted havoc-wreaking Parthian, is a convincing character. Determined
delivery with cogent stage movement, a timbre that is easy on the ear with
some light colouring enrich his performance.
Two rousing arias for Aquilio are seized by Francesca Lombardi which she makes
very much her own. Strong across all her register with vocal leaps to mid-note,
energetic delivery and packed emotion.
I wish that I could muster the same enthusiasm for the intermezzo. For me
the parody has lost much of its effect with the theatrical changes over the
centuries. Livietta, cross dressed as a Frenchman, seeks revenge on petty
thief Tracollo, cross-dressed as a pregnant woman. Livietta rejects Tracollo’s
marriage offer. In the second part, Tracollo is disguised as an astrologer,
a disguise that Livietta sees through. After more posturing, they reconcile.
The music is ‘pure Pergolesi’, fresh, vibrant and tuneful: the singing and
acting persuasive. The more experienced Monica Bacelli as Livietta and Carlo
Lepore as Tracollo are on fine form. Lepore’s first act aria Ecco il povero
Tracollo (DVD1 tr.27) shows his voice to good effect: not overwhelming
but a deep colour over a wide register. Bacelli’s opening aria Vi sto
ben (DVD1 tr.21) is sung with a fresh vibrancy. She brings a smooth tone,
some gentle colouring and a deep sense of comic timing. Their duets are classic
of this genre.
Both productions are excellently paced with a crisp, cogent, expressive Accademia.
The intermezzo needs no set – it runs front of curtain, down the auditorium
centre aisle and in and around the orchestra pit. That for the opera is a
neat layout of ‘stones’ facilitating characters to overhear, or hide from,
events front of stage. The prison is neatly depicted by descending curtains
of chains. There is some obvious symbolism with a caged canary and a free
flying raptor. As you can see from the cover above that the Romans are conventionally
garbed. The Parthians are in muted colours. All very satisfactory and captured
by effective camera work.
The DVD menus have a list of tracks, but the booklet does not. There is no
libretto. The subtitles are more than adequate. The two discs divide easily:
the first with act 1 of the opera, part 1 of the intermezzo and the ‘bonus’;
the second with acts 2 and 3 of the opera separated by part 2 of the intermezzo.
The booklet contains articles on the birth of opera seria, Pergolesi
and a detailed synopsis. As far as I can ascertain this is the only DVD of
this opera.
A CD recorded at the same theatre some 25 years previously (Bongiovanni GB
2078/79/80-2) is still available. The coloratura is more dramatic with singers
with more heft but the diction suffers as a result. The recording is good
but is now showing its years. There is an accompanying libretto including
the text of the omissions from that production. Careful analysis can show
the variations and omissions from this DVD production. But it matters not
a jot. The performance is all and on this DVD it is benchmark standard.
Robert McKechnie
Seriously enjoyable.