Many non-specialists probably know only the overture to this opera,
and no wonder: it is a brilliant piece of music characterised by the use of
snare drum and thus lending the music some warlike atmosphere. There are
also some really dramatic moments towards the end of the opera when Ninetta
is sentenced to death for theft and her father is taken to prison. There is
a happy end to this
Mellodramma in due atti, but we are almost
despairing when the music turns into a funeral march. Fairly unusual for
Rossini some of the music of the overture is also used in the second act.
Whether that was planned or was just Rossini’s way of making the job
easier when composing the overture, is difficult to know. Legend has it that
the day before the premiere the producer locked Rossini in a room and forced
him to write the overture. He then threw out each sheet through the window
to the copyists who then wrote out the orchestral parts. Whether we should
believe in legends is another question but it seems that Rossini had to work
under time-pressure more than once during his hectic career.
Let me say at once that it is not only the overture that is
musically valuable in this work. It actually brims over with delectable
arias, duets and ensembles. These may not be as immediately memorable as
some of the numbers in
Barbiere and a couple of other popular works
but this is a very listener-friendly music. The production from Pesaro in
2007 was first issued on DVD. I haven’t seen it but from the cover
picture it seems rather odd. I have seen some comments that also point in
that direction. Approach the DVD with caution and if you are allergic to
overly hefty modernisations, stick to the CD-version.
There have been some recordings of this work through the years. The
most recent, I believe, was an issue in the Chandos ‘Opera in
English’ series. In 1989 Sony recorded the opera in Pesaro under
Gianluigi Gelmetti and with the same chorus and chorus-master as on the
present set. The starry cast Sony recording was my reference for this
review.
The recorded sound is excellent and the overture is a tasty opener
with brilliant playing from the orchestra. Lü Jia paces the music
admirably and not only in the overture. He also takes beneficent care of the
choral music. There is long and enthusiastic applause which tends to last
forever. It should have been faded down quickly or been cut completely.
The soloists are rather variable. Several are obviously excellent
actors, sing with good feeling for the text and also find fine nuances. The
Spanish soprano Mariola Cantarero as Ninetta is one of them. Her
cavatina in act I (CD 1 tr. 5) is a fine piece but it is partly
ruined due to her incipient vibrato. The duet
Forse un di conoscerete
(CD 2 tr. 7) is also delicious and Cantarero shades the music beautifully
but again the vibrato is disturbing. Here she is joined by the Russian tenor
Dmitry Korchak as Giannetto. He phrases exquisitely, Schipa-like and like
his old predecessor the tone is slightly greyish. He has then already shown
in the aria
Vieni fra queste braccia (CD 1 tr. 10) that he has no
problems with florid singing and negotiates the high tessitura splendidly.
Kleopatra Papatheologou is a technically accomplished Lucia and she sings
with feeling but her tone is rather fluttery. Manuela Custer is a good
Pippo, not least in the brindisi
Tocchiamo, beviamo (CD 1 tr. 11).
The two basses, Alex Esposito and Michele Pertusi, are experienced
Rossini singers and both are genuinely expressive. Sadly neither of them has
the focused tone and the true legato of a
bel canto singer. Their
Sony counterparts, Samuel Ramey and Ferruccio Furlanetto have all this
galore, Katia Ricciarelli is the more reliable Ninetta. With Bernadette
Manca di Nissa’s Pippo, Luciana d’Intino’s Lucia and
William Matteuzzi’s Giannetto the older recording is far preferable.
Göran Forsling
Previous review (DVD): Robert
J Farr
