Review: NORMA at the Teatro Comunale in Ferrara, directed by M° Sergio Alapont.
By William Fratti and Renata Fantoni –
Ferrara 7 April 2017
The show staged at Municipal Theater of Ferrara, co-produced with Treviso, uses painted scenographies that recall the original staging of the first performance of the opera in 1831 signed by Alexander Sanquirico.
Sometimes it is pleasant to watch this return to the past, but if not accompanied by a meticulous and punctual direction, it turns out to be just dusty. Unfortunately the directorial work of Alexander Londei is almost non-existent, much shorter than the notes published on the program. The ideas may be interesting, but they are not developed on stage. Therefore we only witness a series of entrances, some gestures and exits. Luckily the two female protagonists give their all and are believable, while Pollione looks like a tarantula and Oroveso appears nailed down and immovable. The first entry of the choir is good, while for the rest it is only placed. In addition there are the usual agitated mimes, who increasingly populate the provincial shows that need to be filled in some way. appreciable i costumes by Veronica Pattuelli and the lights by Roberto Gritti.
Some shadows also invade the musical sphere. Sergio Alapont he is an alternate conductor, with some beautiful moments of bel canto and others that are more boring. The same goes for theCity of Ferrara Orchestra, which produces a nice sound on some pages, while it is rough on others. Correct but slightly bland is the Coro Ensemble Vocale Continuum.
Silvia Dalla Benetta is a Norma delicious. She is announced indisposed - it is later learned from social networks that it is a serious respiratory tract infection - but this inconvenience is limited to a less velvety and slightly reduced vigor. For the rest of her, her singing is a true bel canto lesson: impeccable intonation, perfect technique, refined style, elegant bearing, eloquent phrasing.
The young Yulia Gorgula it's a'Adalgisa soft and delicate, with a good and homogeneous singing line. Too bad that the most extreme notes, both high and low, are rather imprecise.
Nelson Ebo it's a Pollione to forget. Excellent vocal material but devoid of technique and every note drifts away, denoting problems of all sorts on the winds, the mask, the support and the passage.
The young Volodymyr Tyshkov it's a Oroveso precarious, Valentina Corò is a Clotilde poorly tuned, Eder Vincenzo it's a Flavio acceptable.
William Fratti and Renata Fantoni
PHOTOS © MARCO CASELLI NIRMAL