Obscure opera resurrected
in a concert performance with a splendid
line-up of singers forms the basis of
this very attractively packaged double
disc set. La Fattucchiera is
the first romantic opera written in
Catalonia, Vinceç Cuyàs
having been born in Palma de Mallorca
and dying in Barcelona the year after
the work’s premiere. There are clear
relationships with the style of Bellini
and even of Donizetti, but Cuyàs
is also working in the more rigid formal
structures that were still the expected
norm in Catalonia in the 1830s.
The plot is based on
a novel by the Viscount D’Arlincourt,
which was already well known in Catalonia
in translation. The action takes place
in the 12th century, after
the third crusade and is set in the
Normandy castle of San Pari. D’Arlincourt’s
novel adopts a pseudo-historical approach
combining real events and characters
- Richard the Lionheart and the wars
between England and France over Normandy
– with fictitious events and characters
inspired by Tasso’s epic Gerusalemme
Liberata. The Libretto was prepared
by Felice Romani, freely adapted by
Josep Llausàs i Mata (1817-1885).
By this stage, there was not much of
the historical aspect left and the plot
revolves around a fairly predictable
love triangle between the daughter of
the Lord of San Pari castle (Ismailia)
and the Captain of Richard the Lionheart’s
troops (Oscar), with added menace from
Oscar’s jilted former mistress Azila,
now a sorceress under the name Argea.
Curiously, Oscar, at some earlier time,
has made a vow never openly to show
his love for a woman before marrying
her. If he breaks this vow he will bleed
to death from an old crusading wound,
which has been miraculously healed.
Needless to say Ismailia, whom Oscar
is to wed, doubts his love, egged on
by Argea the sorceress. Eventually Oscar
is forced to utter the fatal Io t’amo
and drops dead.
The second act involves
more witchcraft as Ismailia is persuaded
by Argea that she can be reunited beyond
the grave with Oscar, and Ismailia is
thus lured to the Abbey where Argea
is currently living. Various witchcraft
doings bring the lovers together so
that Argea can destroy them both, but
a totally unbelievable (although quite
commonplace at the time) Deus ex
Machina protects them from the wrath
of the sorceress and results in Oscar
being redeemed by the love of Ismailia,
who ends up lifeless on the ground.
Argea throws herself off a handy cliff.
Thus redemption and suicide, the two
great romantic themes, provide the climax.
Curiously the opera then abruptly ends,
without the Bellinian final ensemble
that one might expect.
The story then can
be seen as fairly standard drivel of
the period. What Cuyàs manages
to do with the music is splendid. The
scenes are long and through composed,
giving a sense of pace to the action.
Chorus and orchestra have major roles,
the chorus not only providing the expected
opening number and ubiquitous nuptial
preparation festivities, but also take
a major role in juxtaposition to the
soloists. Many of the arias are extended
works involving the chorus in dialogue
with the soloist. The chorus and orchestra
of the Gran Teatro del Liceu are well
up to the score under the capable direction
of Josep Pons.
Of the soloists, the
two major roles fall to the soprano
parts of Ismailia and Argea. Ismailia
in particular is given some outstanding
virtuoso passages, even in her first
aria Sempre pensoso e torbido
being required to handle fioriture
including two octave arpeggios, wide
leaps and long strings of trills. Although
occasionally sounding somewhat over
the top in the vibrato department (especially
when also fortissimo at the top
of the vocal range) Ofèlia Sala’s
Ismailia is generally brilliantly executed.
This writer’s personal favourite here
however is the gorgeously dark and sultry
voice of Claudia Marchi singing Argea.
The sheer beauty of her sound is tremendous.
This production is
attractively packaged in the form of
a small hardbound book with the two
CDs attached inside the front and back
covers – so much nicer than the usual
grotty plastic jewel case. Informative
notes and a good synopsis are useful,
although there has been an oversight
in that the biographical note of the
composer appears twice in Spanish and
never in English. This is unfortunate
given the obscurity of Vinceç
Cuyàs, and his apparently youthful
age at the time of his death. Equally
oversightful is that although full texts
are given, there are no translations
of the Italian. Apart from these inconveniences
this is an excellent production. The
performance is committed and dramatic,
and for anybody with an interest in
early 19th century opera,
this work of Vinceç Cuyàs
must rate as a discovery well worth
exploring.
Peter Wells
Chorus and Orchestra of the Gran Teatro del
Liceu/Josep Pons