Review by Natalia Dantas ©dibartolocritic —
Catania, March 5, 2016 –
That the runtimes of operas by Bellini have a puzzle now seemingly intractable nowadays, you know, unfortunately…But although the Greens become times..! Then I honestly was born in the spectator a movement inside of rebellion. For Il Trovatore, went on stage at Teatro Massimo “Bellini” of Catania on March 5, 2016, it took only a moment from the outset to place themselves in this sense a fundamental question: was the green one you listened under the direction of M°. Gianna Fratta?
Was not necessarily green, but a green like sweetened for the soprano, mushy slowness even in wild, then accelerates metronomic venting in concerted up to unleash thundering finals.
The Master Fratta wore gestures of high school but proved unsuitable for an operona look like the Troubadour, where heroic impulses must be duly underlined, where the times are adjusted at least to tradition, where all those who sing on stage they need to express how their characters offer. And they offer so much but so much, without forgetting the high school, but to sing orchestral structure first and make songs out of all…Something that has not occurred.
Conducting school, albeit high, has especially need wrist and sensitivity to this "genre", above all in a masterpiece almost "untouchable" for its preciousness. The approach also requires emotional momentum that Green l does not have, at least so far, but that, with the necessary experience, we hope you find, going far beyond what is usual in his directorial career and still manage that's transpired, relentlessly, in every moment of direction in Catania.
Ottima, quindi, l ’ orchestra Carpenteras always, but suffering from a stiff and flatness of a compact monoblock attributable to management mathematics of Frattaas well as his absolute neglect those accents which generally refers to as "spirit of Verdi. Probably the Master decided to shy away from that much-reviled "zum-pa-PA" which annihilates the Greens most Directors vulgar, but that in the correct dose, is the lifeblood of this music: in medio stat virtus; in green more than ever.
Ovviamente, in questo contesto sfavorevole, the cast all tried to find itself the miracles, but those, unfortunately, can not be done, even if you have the appropriate vocal talents: a fortiori if these, as happened, absconded.
A Manrico, to Angel Villariwith a mellow timbre and suited to the role, but with intonation problems and tried the best in a strained voice in the high notes, reflecting some vibrato problematic.
Dimitra Theodossiou, Leonora, provided the character voice that characterizes today's Veridian wear: particularly in yarn breaking and unpleasantness in the high notes issued with effort, even where certain embellishments were not written (for issuing them then?), or not issued at all (written or not written that they were).
Things to emphasize, moreover, that if one side was aided in the emission from this direction slowed in parts of the female lead, because it was time to breathe properly, on the other hand, the wind is forcing long which moreover they ironed the maximum allowed time of Verdi, perhaps looking for that "lyricism" that the female character of the opera has to some extent but you have to be able to grasp from the Manager, without affecting everything else nor give problems to the interpreter. Conducting initiative to put women to women-maybe a female, the female protagonist of the work by holding a "special treatment" in the times and "highlight" all about? It was not, however, a nice service, in any way, by anyone.
Insufficient Azucena by Nilda Palacios, unsuited to the role, despite the beautiful color in serious, lacking in projection, of character and charisma. If Miss Azucena in il Trovatore, Miss half the musical and scenic pathos.
Il conte di Luna, Joseph Abbasi, he searched within himself the miracle, but failing to make rough rough voice and timbre, despite the obvious lesson zancanariana studied with care even in gestures, the softness and the momentum needed for the character, bad enough, but anything but suicidal at the end, as desired Director Renzo Giacchieri, author also of sets and costumes.
Sometimes one wonders why some suicide too staged and sometimes you can find a justification. Unfortunately, however, in this case, the justification is negated by the libretto himself, and has already been well as thoroughly distracted by music data most relevant negatively compared to staging to fit to think over further.
A setup routine anyway, by reworking of an historic setting unidentified, with a static and left to itself and to the interpreters, in which even some movements of the chorus, performed in time, scombussolavano the masses without any justifiable reason. The willing Ferrando by Francesco Palmieri, led by Director who at the beginning of the work it did appear in the audience, saw the choir deployed and sacrificed on the stage at the curtain closed.
Coro del teatro catanese, Meanwhile, much screaming, as is often the case in the hands of the Master Ross Craigmile, especially at times when the Fort was master, becoming an unpleasant fortissimo, and even in the sublime inner voices a cappella in the scene before the fourth Act, where the women's team gave the best because the ensemble possesses beautiful voices, but the Welsh Director should have better and make it more modular diaphanous and transcendent.
Sharply oleografici the Scenic backdrops Giacchieri, which gave it a strong feeling of belonging also to the material of which the scene is done, with an attendance of silhouettes very unpleasant effect of paperboard of incumbency and flatness.
Non è tanto ciò che si trova in scena e di cosa sia fatto a contare, ma anche come e dove si decida di utilizzarlo e come venga illuminato. Un mix tra l’atmosfera orientale dell’italiana in Algeri e il boschetto cartonato di Robin Hood di Walt Disney non è la scena per il Trovatore. Meglio scena vuota, ma ben illuminata, che scena “ingombra” di sagome, lit without impetus from Savior From Field.
Costumes, also by GiacchieriFortunately (and perhaps more specifically related to this historic arrangement), which, with its deep, accentuating the inconsistency volumetric appearance.
In short, a Troubadour intended by intentionally "dazzling" (right in the literal meaning of the term), but that didn't limit himself viewers experiencers of prime, savvy and very well equipped with lenses that shield. Cheers very tepid, so predictably by a public that of Verdi's operas he's seen a lot and that he expected and deserved much more in every respect.
Natalia Dantas ©dibartolocritic
Photos: © James Orlando