After an intense opera season consisting of nine titles including a new commission and a first Italian performance, the production effort of the Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni does not end and continues with the resumption of the staging of the Puritans (already reviewed by our magazine seven years ago both in Modena and Piacenza) as part of the first edition of Modena Belcanto Festival. The aim of the event, which unfolds over a long calendar from May to December, is to showcase the city’s thriving musical tradition: from the first sixteenth-century composers, moving on to Don Carlo prepared for this theater by Verdi, to finally arrive at the great voices that were formed and debuted in Modena.
“Belcanto” therefore understood in its original baroque formulation and not in the common meaning referring to composers of the early nineteenth century pursued with philological intentions. This production of Puritans was in fact staged in an edition that was anything but complete, either due to the complexity and length of the score: however, granted the extenuating circumstances of the case, certain cuts and scissors blows were imposed (not only those carried out by Bellini himself between of which the ending “Ah niente o mio bell’angelo”, but several da capos and vivid parts of the musical numbers) seemed to me so arbitrary as to have distorted the very essence of the work.
The management of. does not help in this respect Alessandro d’Agostini, which weighs down the orchestral fabric with overwhelming colors that do not do justice to the refinements of the score and put the soloists in difficulty, already pressured by tempos beaten in an all too metronomic manner. The seal of the seal is not very uniform Philharmonic of the Municipal Theater while the Lyric Choir of Modenawhose interventions lack bite and homogeneity, seemed to me to be undersized compared to the foreseen staff, something that I have already had the opportunity to observe in the Don Carlo of November.
The not very exciting musical (and directorial, which I will talk about below) coordinates worked against the vocal company which on paper revealed itself to be very promising: their performance, given the executive limitations, nevertheless proved to be appreciable and even commendable despite the due I distinguish.
Already interpreter of Elvira in Palermo and Trieste, Ruth Iniesta it stands out more in solo pieces than in ensemble ones where the orchestral volumes tend to swamp it. The Spanish soprano plays her cards best in the polonaise and in the scene of madness, in which he shows careful work on diction, intelligent variations in the da capo and adamantine high notes delivered with surprising ease (although the one that closed the opera did not seem very clean).
After having faced another difficult role written for Rubini in the same theater (Percy in Anne Boleyn), Ruzil Gatin he makes his debut in Arturo’s a little quietly: like his colleague he is also equipped with a vocal instrument that runs to the high pitch without encountering obstacles, but a light vibrato that makes him evident already from the outburst “A te o cara” accompanies you throughout the entire project. The Russian tenor nevertheless completes the performance without difficulty, attempting with due caution the infamous high pitch of “Credeasi misera”: given the commitment shown and his potential, the hope is that he can resume and perfect the part in a context most suitable.
Also making his debut in the role, Alessandro Luongo like Riccardo certainly does not lack incisiveness and attention to phrasing, but on balance the interpretation turns out to be a bit monotonous, which however can be attributed to the direction and direction: the Pisan baritone, appreciated on other occasions as a refined interpreter and casual actor, in fact he reveals himself to be more cautious than usual and more attentive to following directions from the hole than to interacting convincingly with colleagues.
Whoever comes out with his head held high in terms of character building and musical sensitivity is Luca Tittotoalready present in the production of seven years ago: today as then, his Giorgio stands out for a soft and full vocality, which coherently balances the affectionate side of the character (it is up to him to “melt” the most convinced applause from the audience after a heartfelt interpretation of “Cinta di fiore”) with the more patriotic one, as evidenced by the passionate cabaletta “Suoni la trumba e intrepido” in which he stands out above his colleague.
Enrichetta by Nozomi Kato, also already engaged in the same role at the debut of the production, exhibits a ductile and mellow instrument but not always in focus. They complete the cast Matteo Macchioniringing Bruno, and Andrea PellegriniGualtiero Valton.
It remains to talk only about the show Francesco Esposito (who takes care of the direction and costumes), not very captivating and always on the verge of involuntarily ridiculous. As in all productions that want to start from “respect for the text of the music” (so who approved the cuts to the score?) a trite repertoire of poses is shown of yesteryear (the soloists lined up in the proscenium, the almost static choir, the inevitable crossed swords in the aforementioned cabaletta between Riccardo and Giorgio) and counter-scenes of both scenic and musical disturbance: the characters are never left alone even in their most private moments, with the Chorus which scrutinizes the story from above the scene Rinaldo Rinaldi And Maria Grazia Cervetti, and the omnipresence, in the long run unbearable, of Elvira’s ladies who interact with her even in madness and in the duet with Arturo. The work on the soloists is either imperceptible (see the duel between Arturo and Riccardo) or completely over the top, like Elvira’s madness transformed into hysteria by Lady Macbeth who obsessively rubs her hands as if she had blood on them .
The audience of all ages who filled the theater did not fail to show their appreciation for the show both at the end of the individual songs and with the final applause: however, despite the lively acclamations addressed to the quartet of protagonists and the directing team, there was no lack of isolated but repeated complaints against the soprano (in my opinion, unjustified) and the director.
The review refers to the performance on Friday 10 May 2024.
Martino Pinali
