Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
La Scala di Seta - Farsa comica in one act (1812) [105:00]
Dormont - Daniele Zanfardino (tenor); Giulia - Olga Peretyatko (soprano);
Lucilla - Anna Malavasi (mezzo); Dorvil - José Manuel Zapata (tenor);
Blansac - Paolo Bordogna (baritone)
Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento/Claudio Scimone
Damiano Michieletto (stage director); Paolo Fantin (stage and costume design)
rec. Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro, August 2009
Picture: NTSC/16:9; Sound: LPCM 2.0 & dts digital surround; Region: 0
(worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian
OPUS ARTE OA1075D DVD [105:00 + 22:00 (documentary)]
La Scala di Seta was the third of the five comic farces Rossini wrote
for the Teatro San Moisè in Venice. Like the other four its plot is
broadly comic and hardly original, in this case based very loosely on Colman
and Garrick’s The Clandestine Marriage which had been used earlier
by Cimarosa for his very successful Il Matrimonio Segreto. Rossini’s
score is full of invention, particularly in terms of rhythm, orchestration
and sheer comic drive. Its very well known Overture is only the opening of
a consistently delightful score. This performance makes use of a new critical
edition by Anders Wiklund, although I could not detect any obvious changes
from that used in earlier audio recordings. The one difference that is immediately
apparent is the inclusion of an aria for the baritone, Blansac - “Alle
voce per l’amore”. The booklet explains that this is by Rossini
though was not intended for this opera. Unfortunately no further explanation
of its origin is given.
The most important point about this performance is that the cast are thoroughly
at home in the musical idiom. There is never the sense, once common in Rossini
performances, that they would be happier with, say, Verdi or Mozart. The many
difficulties are not always surmounted in the heat of a live performance -
if audience dress is any guide it was a hot evening - but no one gets flustered
or is too obviously over-parted. The orchestra plays with finesse, and once
past the Overture, which lacks real spontaneity, they respond with wit and
affection to Rossini’s wonderful score. The singers who make the greatest
impression are Olga Peretyatko and José Manuel Zapata but all have
real virtues and there are no serious weak links.
The production is updated to the present and seems to be ruled above all by
the ingenious set. This consists of a painted floor plan of a very modern
apartment. There is furniture but no walls, windows or doors. The audience
is however able to see where they are as the “backcloth” is a
mirror of the stage seen from above which makes it obvious which room the
various characters are in. It takes a few minutes to get used to this and
the camera angles do not always make it clear what is being viewed but by
and large this is an amusing and effective device. Unfortunately the producer’s
efforts have not gone much beyond devising some rather obvious action within
it, and the final scene, which should involve characters hiding and appearing
from various positions is simply a muddle, neither funny nor clear and certainly
not the climax of the action. I found myself more mystified than amused by
it but the explanation of the thinking behind the production in the short
documentary “extra” suggests that this might have been more fun
in the theatre. I hope so as what we see here is more a generic farcical situation
than the very specific one that is needed to be the cause of real laughter.
If DVDs of this opera were more common it might be possible simply to pass
this one by. As it is, however, one should perhaps be grateful that it exists
at all, and certainly some enthusiasm is due for the quality of the musical
performance. You may well think it worth having to see once and thereafter
to listen to with eyes closed or aimed solely at the subtitles.
John Sheppard
One should perhaps be grateful that this exists at all and some enthusiasm
is due for the quality of the musical performance.