Gioachino ROSSINI (1924-1868)
Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo (1816) Azione coro-drammatica (Cantata)
Giove – Joshua Stewart (tenor); Cerere – Leonor Bonilla (soprano); Teti– Elleonora Bellocci (soprano); Peleo – Mert Süngü (tenor); Giunone – Marina Compararto (mezzo)
Górecki Chamber Choir Bach Choir, Kraków
Virtuosi Brunensis/Pietro Rizzo.
rec. live, 24 and 26 July 2018, XXX Rossini in Wildbad Festival, Trinkhalle, Bad Wildbad, Germany
The Italian libretto is accessible online
NAXOS 8.574282 [58:02]
Rossini’s theatrical cantata was composed to celebrate the wedding of Maria Carolina of the royal Bourbon family line to Charles, the Duke of Berry, having its premiere in Naples on April 24, 1816. In sequence it comes between Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La Gazetta, with Otello waiting in the wings. The librettist provided Rossini with an old fashioned royal tribute via a slender story about the wedding of the mythic sea nymph Thetis to the mortal hero Peleus, accompanied by visits from Jupiter, Juno, and Ceres. According to the booklet notes this cantata was actually staged with elaborate sets and costumes as well as an accompanying ballet by the Viennese composer Robert Count Gallenber; for which the score remains lost at present. Rossini would eventually recycle some of his music in Il Turco in Italia and La Cenerentola. Sadly, the royal marriage was short-lived as Duke Charles was assassinated in 1820.
In 1998 Decca became the first label to make a complete recording of the cantata
(Rossini Cantatas Vol Two 466328-2). That recording can still be found for sale if one looks around hard enough. It boasts a starry cast for the day and the La Scala musicians under maestro Riccardo Chailly.
With the present recording we jump into the world of the annual Rossini Festival in Bad Wildbad. I have become rather disposed to like these recordings because they have a real sense of enthusiasm in the presentation. The current one certainly retains that sense of adventure about it. The opening voice is Turkish tenor Mert Süngü as Peleo. He has a reasonably exciting top voice but his mid and lower range sound somewhat weak to my ears and his vocal line can be a bumpy experience. His rival on Decca is the utterly elegant Juan Diego Florez who gives a thrilling demonstration of bel canto technique. Eleonora Belloci is the sea nymph Teti. This lady possesses a high soprano with a sunny Mediterranean flicker in her tone. Her ability with the coloratura sections is fine indeed and at times her voice was quite reminiscent of Reri Grist. Belloci’s rival on the Decca recording is the very bright sounding soprano of Elisabetta Scano who is equally agile. I find her sound to be almost too girlish in comparison to Belloci’s more womanly tone.
The deities of the piece introduce us to the American tenor Joshua Stewart as Giove. His is a darker, heavier voice than Süngü’s and he immediately makes a dramatic impact with his first recitative. It is a pity that Rossini didn’t grant Giove a full aria during the proceedings. Stewart is definitely preferable to the throaty sounding Luigi Petroni on Decca. The goddess Cerere gets the showiest aria in the piece, part of which was recycled from the count’s aria from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Sung by Sevillian soprano Leonor Bonilla, she reveals a promising coloratura soprano with a warm tone and a good facility in the agile music. It is interesting to hear this music sung by a true soprano, as the original interpreter was Isabella Colbran who we know to have been a mezzo with an upper extension. The brighter tone of a soprano gives this music a sheen which is quite irresistible. On the Decca release Cerere was sung by superstar mezzo Cecilia Bartoli. Ms Bartoli’s interpretation certainly possesses a more bravura style and she is quite virtuosic in her coloratura but she also displays some mannerisms such as overly breathy tone. Her portrayal is probably much closer to what Rossini heard from Colbran, I find both singers to be of sufficient value. There is not much to choose between the two mezzos who sing Giunone as Rossini gave them so little to do; both are equally effective.
The Virtuosi Brunensis and the Górecki Chamber Choir perform ably under the excellent baton of Pietro Rizzo. On the Decca recording Riccardo Chailly leads a rapidfire account of the piece which pops and crackles like a fireworks display. However, I have never been totally convinced by conductors who adopt breakneck tempi in performing Rossini. I think that Maestros like Vittorio Gui got it right in having crisp ensemble work that isn’t running at supersonic speed and allowing for the interplay of human emotions to register more fully. I find Rizzo’s approach perfectly valid but still appreciate the virtuosity of Chailly and his players.
The Naxos recording has been excellently engineered capturing the warm and responsive acoustics of the Trinkhalle in Bad Wilbad. This is the most consistently pleasing aspect of all of the Rossini in Wilbad series of recordings. Decca provided a more analytical recording which many will prefer; however, I find the realistic live atmosphere of the Naxos to be much more pleasing. Anyone who already owns the older Decca recording need not fear that they must add this one to their collection but for those who cannot find the Decca this remains a valid and, in some instances, a preferable version at a budget price. I will happily keep both on my shelves.
Mike Parr
