New Year’s Concert 2012 - La Fenice,
Venice
Jessica Pratt (soprano); Walter Fraccaro (tenor); Alex Esposito
(Bass)
Orchestra And Chorus of The Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice/Diego
Matheuz
rec. La Fenice, Venice, 2012
PCM Stereo, dts-HD Master Audio 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9, 1080i High Definition. All regions
Menu language: English only
Contents list at end of review
ARTHAUS MUSIK BLU-RAY 108 056 [108:00 + 27:00
(bonus)]
They do say that to copy is the ultimate form of flattery. If
that is so and La Fenice is seeking to emulate Vienna with its
immaculately choreographed New Year Concert then they have set
the bar very high and on this evidence have a long way to go.
Vienna starts with the advantage of being able to choose a world
famous conductor at the height of his powers and fame. The introductory
essay is titled A Breath of Fresh Air from Venezuela.
Having paid dues to the influence of Italy in opera and to the
wonderful La Fenice theatre, burnt down in 1836 and 1996, the
DVD focuses on the young conductor of this concert. It tries
to hype it up on the back of the current euphoria surrounding
Gustavo Dudamel and all things musical in Venezuela.
The essay claims that it is the tradition to include a major
orchestral work in the first half of the New Year concert. Fair
enough, but why choose a Russian one and a piece with a not
very joyous spirit, one that the composer himself dismissed
as mediocre (CHs.1-5)? Appointed Chief conductor in 2011 Diego
Matheuz is not in the same league as his compatriot. Looking
for a young aspiring conductor of Tchaikovsky symphonies my
mind went back to Mariss Jansons; there is a man who can make
a silk purse out of a sow’s ear; a skill not yet available
to Diego Matheuz.
The Vienna concerts have the great advantage of the tradition
of the waltz. Fine, but Italy has the even greater tradition
of opera composition. Given that this theatre has a nearly unrivalled
tradition of premieres by the great opera composers that provides
a reasonable focus for the second half of the concert. The Fenice
choir open with a vibrant Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore
(CH.7) but give a rather cool rendition of the ever-famous Chorus
of the Hebrew Slaves (CH.15). In between there are arias
sung by three soloists, these of very variable quality. The
best comes from Alex Esposito who makes much of Leporello’s
Catalogue Aria (CH.11) relishing the phrases in his face,
and eyes in particular, as well as in his voice. Neither phrasing
or voice are the strong suites of the tenor and I will draw
a veil over his lack of any vocal elegance. As to the soprano,
Jessica Pratt, I heard her in Rossini’s Armida in its
British premiere at Garsington a couple of years back and was
impressed by the range and purity of her coloratura. Her rendition
of the well known coloratura party piece O luce di quest'anima
from Donizetti’s Linda di Chamonix is well done
(CH.13). Less satisfactory is her lack of vocal colour in Ah!
Non creda mirarti from the closing scene of Bellini’s
La Sonnambula as Amina regrets that her posy of flowers
is to die so soon. Ms Pratt tries hard to put some drama and
pain into the aria and loses ideal focus and steadiness (CH.9).
The Valzer del commiato from one of Rota’s ten
operas. II gattopardo, is conveyed with some elegance
by the dancers (CH.10). I would have liked to see more of Ponchielli’s
Dance of the Hours rather than just a brief extract (CH.14).
The views of the restored Fenice (CH.1) are a delight to the
eye. As to the well-coutured audience, they seemed happy enough.
I merely hope they could afford such poor value without too
much pain but I suppose the event and being seen is all.
Robert J Farr
If you want a New Year Concert go for Vienna and far better
quality than offered here.
Contents List
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 5 in E minor op. 64 [49.13]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Un giorno di regno
Sinfonia[6:05]
Il trovatore
Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie (Chorus) [3:14]
Nabucco
Va' pensiero sull'ali dorate (Chorus)
La traviata
Libiam ne lieti calici
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Tosca
E lucevan le stelle (Walter Fraccaro) [3:33]
Vincenzo BELLINI (1801-1835)
La sonnambula
Ah! Non credea mirarti (Jessica Pratt) [5:34]
Nino ROTA (1911-1979)
II gattopardo
Valzer del commiato (dancers) [4:51]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Don Giovanni Madamina, il catalogo e questo (Alex
Esposito) [6:48]
Pietro MASCAGNI (1863-1945)
Cavalleria Rusticana
Viva il Vino Spumeggian (Walter Fraccaro) [3:21]
Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Linda di Chamounix,
O luce di quest'anima (Jessica Pratt) [3:36]
Amilcare PONCHIELLI (1834-1886)
La Gioconda
Can-can dalla Danza delle ore (dancers) [2:23]