Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Il Tabarro (1913-1916)
Maria José Siri – Giorgetta, Franco Vassallo – Michele, Angelo Villari – Luigi, Anna Maria Chiuri – La Frugola, Antonio Garés – Il Tinca, Eugenio Di Lieto – Il Talpa, Chorus & Orchestra of Maggio Musicale Florence/Valerio Gallo, Denis Krief (production, costumes, lighting), Tiziano Mancini (video director)
rec. live, 10 and 23 November 2019, Teatro dl Maggio Musicale, Florence
Region 0 NTSC Dolby Digital 5.1; PCM 2.0
DYNAMIC DVD 37872 [54 mins]
Most reader may not need this warning but Il Tabarro (The Cloak) is only one part of Puccini’s so-called Il Trittico, three short operas that can be performed on one evening. The duration of this disc is a mere 54 minutes. Given that the three operas were indeed performed in Florence together in one evening, one wonders whether Puccini’s character La Frugola had a say in the DVD’s production. To take three examples, the Royal Opera on their own label, La Scala on Hardy Classics and Modena on TDK offer all three. The “cloak” of the title refers to that in which Michele hides the body of Giorgetta’s lover, Luigi, at the end of the opera before cruelly revealing the corpse to his unfaithful wife.
That said, this is a convincing performance, not least because of the responsiveness of the orchestra to Valerio Galli’s superb direction. It was a nice touch to present the cast against a line drawing of a Parisian canal (the canal Saint Martin). The same drawing is projected at the back of the bare-bone wooden set that represents the deck of the barge. Characters can emerge from below decks, and do so regularly, through trapdoors. The booklet describes the overall set accurately as “Parisian noir”; and at least we are in the prescribed venue of Paris. For the other two operas, this basic set became a convent (Suor Angelica), then a large house (Gianni Schicchi).
Conductor Galli superbly shapes the orchestral Prelude. He paces the first scene perfectly, including the piquant harmonies of the dance music as Giorgetta and Tinca dance. (Is this the closest Puccini got to Stravinsky?) Under Galli, this is not purely Italian music, more music rooted in Italianate verismo that can branch out – and refer to – other music, as well. The orchestra is superbly caught in the recording, too, nicely balanced and with proper depth to the strings.
Maria José Siri is superb as Georgetta. We believe her when she talks of the symbol of the love between her and her lover Luigi as a lighted match (the flame of their love). Importantly – this is not flippantly meant – Siri has a good scream at her disposal at the end of the opera, properly blood-curdling. But the journey there is utterly believable; we the audience are regularly torn in our allegiances.
A strong heroine in Il Tabarro needs two strong principal men around her, and she receives just that here. Baritone Franco Vassallo is a fine Michele. Tenor Angelo Villari a passionate tenor as Luigi, ardent in his declaration of illicit love and, in tandem with the conductor, he brings to a true climax this aria declaring his passion (he would kill for her and make a jewel out of the blood). The smaller roles are, in fact, no less well taken. Notable amongst them is mezzo-soprano Anna Maria Chiuri’s splendid La Frugola (she is a mezzo with contralto hues). Her arietta receives properly enthusiastic acknowlegement from the audience. Her Talpa, the bass Eugenio Di Lieto, matches her beautifully, their duet of adieu sung superbly together. As for the young Tinca, Antonio Garés manages to meld lots of glances at the conductor with his acting (they would not have been so obvious in the auditorium).
Subtitles are generally fine, although I for one cannot remember the last time I used the word “strumpet”. In short, a fine performance. But not only is this short on duration, it is long on price and offers no extras, no interviews with cast members or ruminations on the production, for example. A shame, but if you can get to see it, do.
Colin Clarke
