Rossini's and his wife
returned to Paris in August 1824 from
a visit to London where the composer
had presented several of his operas
and also earned considerable remuneration
by singing and playing at musical occasions
organised by the English aristocracy.
In Brighton, where the Court was in
session, he sang duets with King George
IV. In Paris, Rossini was appointed
Director of the Théâtre
Italien. His contract required him to
present productions of his own works,
and that of other composers, as well
as writing new works in French for presentation
at The Opéra (Théâtre
de 1'Académie Royale de Musique).
The works in French were a little slow
in coming, as Rossini needed to grapple
with the prosody of the language and
re-align his own compositional style
towards that of his new hosts. He particularly
noted the Parisians' taste for big choral
scenes and spectacular tableaux. Before
any operas in French was the unavoidable
duty of a work to celebrate the coronation
of Charles X in Reims Cathedral in early
June 1825. Called Il viaggio a Reims
(a journey to Reims) it was composed
to an Italian libretto and presented
at the Théâtre Italien
on 19 June. It was hugely successful
in three sold-out performances after
which Rossini withdrew it, considering
it purely a pièce d'occasion.
Rossini later reused five of the nine
of the numbers in Le Comte Ory, (see
The
operas of Rossini) his only comic
opera in French.
For his first work
in French, Rossini established a tradition,
later followed by Donizetti and Verdi,
of revising a proven earlier work to
a new libretto. The first of two such
revisions was Le Siège de Corinthe
derived from his Maometto II of six
years earlier. It was premiered to massive
acclaim at The Opéra on 9 October
1826 and went on to clock up no fewer
than one hundred performances within
thirteen years. The Paris staging was
lavish with the final tableau depicting
the sacked and burning Corinth being
both viscerally and visually thrilling
and horrifying. Francis Toye wrote 'with
this work Grand Opera was born'. Moïse
et Pharaon, or Le Passage de la Mer
Rouge, Rossini's second work for The
Opéra followed six months later
on 6 March 1827. It was received with
even greater appreciation than that
accorded Le Siège de Corinthe.
The work proved so popular that it stayed
in the repertory until 1865, a highly
unusual phenomenon in the nineteenth
century. It is derived from the composer’s
Italian language Mosé in Egito,
which was already in the repertory of
the Théâtre Italien when
Rossini put up this rival to it. He
avoided the pitfalls of a stilted translation
by acquiring a new libretto by Luigi
Balocchi and Etienne de Jouy that, while
drawing on the Italian one by Tottola,
gave new names to some of the characters
and expanded the opera into four acts.
For the necessary ballet music in act
three, Rossini used that in Armida.
Although Rossini reused a lot of the
music from Mosé in Egito, his
detail additions and alterations affected
every aspect of the work. In all the
opera seria composed for Naples, including
Mosé in Egito, he had cultivated
a style rich in coloratura, so as to
satisfy the virtuosity of the singers
on the company’s roster. For Paris he
reduced the vocal ornamentation in favour
of clear melodic lines and greatly increased
the role of the chorus (representing
the Children of Israel).
In Moïse et Pharaon
the theatrically effective plague of
darkness covering Egypt is moved from
the first act to the second. After a
brief prelude and chorus (D1 Chs 2-3)
the opera now begins with Moïse
encouraging the oppressed Israelites
(D1 Ch. 4). Moïse’s brother Éliézer
returns to the Israelites accompanied
by Moïse’s sister Marie
and her daughter Anaï. Éliézer
tells the Israelites that Pharaoh, at
the urging of his wife Sinaïde
(a convert to Judaism) and also from
fear of the Jewish God, will let them
go, although it is against the advice
of the High Priest Osiride. Pharaoh’s
son, Aménophis, loves Anaï
whom he has met as a slave in his father's
court and she returns his love. He seeks
to prevent the Israelites leaving. Moïse
threatens Egypt with dreadful plagues.
Despite this, Pharaon revokes his permission
and promptly, during the Act I finale,
fire rains down from heaven and a ‘pyramid
turns into a volcano’. In this staging
by Luca Ronconi with sets by Gianni
Quaranta the fire emerges from what
appears to be a giant church organ at
the rear centre of the stage (D1 Chs
19-20). Other more unusual effects include
what appear ro be mitred bishops. That
is not to imply that the production
carries any producer lumber or idiosyncratic
concept. On the contrary the story is
told with forthright simplicity, the
general sets, staging and costumes being
appropriate. With the plague of darkness
engulfing the Egyptians act two has
Moïse’s great scene and invocation
to Jehovah, so beloved of all great
basses (D1 Chs 23-26), and the darkness
is lifted as Pharaon again agrees to
let the Jews go. He further asks his
son to marry a princess of his own faith
but Aménophis is not interested.
In Act three the obligatory ballet takes
the form of ceremonial "Egyptian" dances
before the Temple of Isis (D 2 Chs.5-7).
The High Priest Osiride commands the
Jews to worship Isis, whereupon the
Nile turns blood red and locusts descend
on the Egyptians. In Act four Aménophis,
for love of Anai, is ready to renounce
the throne and release the chained Jews
(D 2 Chs. 13-14). But when Anai sees
her compatriots in chains and Moïse
tells her she must choose between love
and obedience, she chooses her people.
Once more Aménophis vows vengeance.
Led by Moïse the Israelites pray
to God and miraculously their chains
fall from them. In the final scene including
a storm (D 2 Ch. 24), a Rossini speciality,
Moïse parts the waters of the Red
Sea and leads the Jews safely over whilst
the pursuing Egyptians drown (D2 Chs
23-25). The production does this scene
in a very cardboard and mundane manner,
particularly considering earlier pyrotechnic
effects and all the equipment of modern
theatres. At the premiere of the original
Italian production of Mosé in
Egito there were similar disappointments
despite the then state of the art stage
equipment at the recently refurbished
San Carlo. This equipment which had
been able to represent the lovers Armida
and Rinaldo descending on a cloud that
becomes her chariot and, as she waves
her wand, turns into her castle, could
not manage a coup de théâtre
for the parting of the Red Sea. Perhaps
when La Scala returns home from the
Teatro Arcimboldo the production team
will revisit this rather disappointing
facet of what is a very convincing and
satisfying production. The video producer
focuses on appropriate groups and individuals
rather than the wider scene to the overall
benefit of the drama.
In any recording or
production of this work, or its Italian
progenitor, a massive burden rests on
the singing and acting of the role of
Moïse if the performance is to
be a success. In this La Scala production
the Bashkirian bass Ildar Abdrazakov
has an appropriate stage persona and
a lean musical bass voice of appropriate
nobility and grandeur. His voice is
evenly produced and secure across its
range. (D1 Ch. 4, 23-27, and D2 Chs.
8-11 in particular). In a perfect world
he would have a little more roundness
to his tone, but with perfect diction
I would be pleased to hear him in any
of the world’s great opera houses. Most
importantly of all Abdrazakov uses his
vocal skills and prowess to convey a
real character in all its facets. By
vocal nuance and body language as well
as words he conveys what Moïse
is determined to achieve. The role of
Pharaoh is sung by the young bass Erwin
Schrott a late replacement for the indisposed
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. Erwin Schrott’s
voice is steady and true. He looks far
too young for the role of father to
Aménophis and husband to Sinaïde.
If he doesn’t quite have the vocal clout
that D’Arcangelo’s more mature voice
would have brought to the role, the
confrontation with Moïse is still
a considerable one between two fine
singers (D 1 Chs 23-26). As Pharaoh’s
son Aménophis, the young looking
and lithe voiced Giuseppe Filianoti
is convincing in his acting and ardent
in his singing. In the other principal
tenor role of Éliézer,
Tomislav Muzek sings with virile tone
and acts convincingly whether bringing
good news or supporting Moïse.
Of the women the singing laurels go
to Sonia Ganassi as Pharaon’s
wife Sinaïde. Her powerful tones
and even legato are always welcome.
Although her headdress might have restricted
other interpreters, she is able to convey
the meaning of her singing by a wide
tonal palette and judicious body stance.
As Anaï, Barbara Frittoli cannot
disguise her age compared with that
of her lover in terms of visual impact.
Her singing is another matter. Like
Ganassi she has a wide range of vocal
colour particularly in the upper voice
where many sopranos often go thinner.
She is particularly effective in the
more lyrical parts of the unfolding
drama and has sufficient heft to ride
the orchestra when called to do so.
Of course, with Muti on the rostrum
there are no interpolated high notes
that the composer would not recognise.
As always, he brings carefully prepared
and scholarly application to his interpretation
that encompasses all the rhythmic drive,
allied to careful phrasing and gradation
of dynamics, demanded by Rossini’s mature
work as one would hope to meet. If I
have left comment on the chorus until
last it is not by accident. As I noted
earlier, Rossini in reworking Mosé
in Egitto as Moïse et Pharaon intended
a greatly increased role for the chorus
representing the Children of Israel.
In what appears to be enhanced chorus
numbers the singers of La Scala are
as well disciplined as I have ever heard
them. In this form they are world-beaters.
Add the clear acoustic of the Teatro
Arcimboldo, infinitely preferable to
that of the home house, and which benefits
soloists and orchestra as well as chorus
and the whole has major aural impact
when played in the home through quality
hi-fi equipment. The excellent lighting
of the stage also allows detailed definition
in the visual picture. To round off
an excellent issue the booklet has good
notation of chapter division, each with
introductory lines and singers given.
There is a good introductory essay and
a rather too brief synopsis.
This DVD of the 2003
La Scala production fills a major gap
in the availability of Rossini's works
in the catalogue. Although lacking Francophone
singers, and having the odd idiosyncratic
stage effect, the recording provides
a vivid and well-sung performance of
a work that deserves greater circulation.
It is a very welcome and highly recommended
issue.
Robert J Farr
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala,
Milan/Riccardo Muti 
TDK
DVD VIDEO DVWW-OPMEP [2 DVDs: 181min] 
