Catalani's WALLY in Piacenza and Modena: at the Municipal Theater and at the Pavarotti.
2 Reviews 2 by William Fratti (Piacenza) and Lukas Franceschini (Modena) —
(PIACENZA, 17 February 2017):
After last year's success with the production of L'amico Fritz as part of the training project led by Leo Nucci, this season too Municipal Theater of Piacenza proposes a little-represented title from that cultural period which is generally, although not always appropriately, identified with the realism movement.
The Wally by Alfredo Catalani has been missing from the Italian billboards for too long and the artistic director Cristina Ferrari, leading a co-production involving the theaters of Piacenza, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Lucca, manages to put together a team of excellent professionals, also including some of the most important international panoramas.
Nicholas Berloffa creates a very pleasant and also particularly effective show, where there is always action and movement, managing to excellently render even certain difficult passages such as Hagenbach's fall into the ravine, Wally's descent with the rope and the avalanche. Unfortunately there are also some disappointing moments, such as Afra's tavern being too small for everyone to dance, the protagonists not moving a single waltz step and then exchanging a showy fake kiss, the continuous throwing of scarves and other clothes between third and fourth act. Apart from that, the overall performance is really good, enhanced by the scene functional of Fabio Cherstich e dai bei costumes by Valeria Donata Bettella. Just them lights by Marco Giusti they are effective, even if we would have preferred some more marked effects at the moment of the final avalanche.
Francesco Ivan Ciampa he immerses himself in Catalani's difficult score, resulting in a very linear direction, always homogeneous, always at the service of the singing and the feelings desired by the composer through an adequate choice of phrasing and nuances. The performance of the strings of the Regional Orchestra of Emilia Romagna was very good, while that of the wind instruments was rather mediocre. The Choir of the Municipal Theater of Piacenza prepared by Corrado Casati confirms itself as excellent.
Session Hernandez it's excellent protagonist, well centered in the character and vocally very confident, equipped with a soft and mellow typically lyrical timbre, which manages to bend along the pitfalls of the part. The low notes are also pleasant, although they resonate from the chest they do not change the colour, but perhaps he overuses them a little too much during the performance, since in the last act the high notes are not particularly exceptional. Hernandez is also rather sparing in her use of legate, which instead could have embellished and refined the performance, as well as a certain greed for nuances, presenting a very similar singing even in the various changes of mood. Having said that, the overall performance is of a high level and it will certainly be a pleasure to listen to it again.
Zoran Todorovich brings home the role of Hagenbach with its strengths and weaknesses. The tenor is undoubtedly gifted with a good sound, but which sometimes appears pushed and forced. Fortunately, a few flat notes here and there do not preclude the performance. Furthermore, we would have preferred a little more romantic color in the fourth act.
Claudio Sgura is one Gellner truly excellent and reaffirms himself, for the umpteenth time, as a reference interpreter for this type of role. He is always homogeneous, from pianissimo to fortissimo, from the lowest to the highest note, with a clear and well-set masked sound, enriched with never excessive dramatic hues and very well refined phrasing. The duet with Stromminger and those with Wally are undoubtedly the best pages of the evening.
It is equally magnificent Serena Gamberoni in the role of a Walter of extra luxury. The light lyrical role suits her perfectly, so much so that the opening aria overflows with very valid chromaticisms, always keeping a clear and crystalline sound in the foreground.
Very good for too Giovanni Battista Parodi who tries his hand at the short but complex part of the old man Stromminger. Very effective l'Afra by Carlotta Vichi. Well done Pedestrian by Mattia Denti.
Great and well-deserved success for everyone. And there are already rumors in the corridors that next season will see the resurgence of another very interesting title.
William Fratti
(MODENA, 24 February 2017)
The Municipal Theater “L. Pavarotti” in Modena has the great merit of offering the public an unfortunately forgotten work: La Wally by Alfredo Catalani, una co-production with Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Lucca (author's hometown).
Bizarre case that of La Wally, everyone knows the famous and also beautiful aria, "Ebben ne andròtratta", often included in concert programs and in the sopranos' recordings, but in recent years the opera has suffered a neglect in the choices of the billboards that we could define as absurd. Barring errors, the last Italian performance dates back to the end of the 1980s. Catalans he began writing his last work in 1889 (he died of tuberculosis in '93). from a story by Wilhelmine von Hillern, at the suggestion of Arrigo Boito, together with the librettist Luigi Illica. On January 20, 1892, The Wally was performed at the Teatro alla Scala with the direction of Edoardo Mascheroni, protagonist Hariclea Darclée (future premiere Tosca), and a very good result, had thirteen performances. It was later staged in other Italian and foreign cities, when it arrived in Hamburg, where it was conducted by Gustav Mahler, who stated that it was the best Italian opera he had performed. For the edition at the Teatro Regio in Turin (1894) the composer modified the ending making it even more dramatic, unfortunately he was unable to witness yet another success. The opera has always been considered the best of Catalani's production, both for the beauty of the music and for the coherent dramaturgical consistency. The author frequented the "Scapigliati" movement, was described as a Wagnerian and seems to have even declared that he did not love Verdi, which he reciprocated even if Giuseppe later changed his mind. To all intents and purposes, an anomalous composer far removed from the verismo currents and more at ease with the fantastic themes of Nordic works. Catalani uses the so-called leitmotif, the melody of the famous romance is a common thread throughout the entire opera, but there is no shortage of instrumental pages of great workmanship such as the preludes, a third act with a coup de theatre, and a fourth act of very authoritative workmanship, dramatic and very inspirational. In this work it is the landscape, the snow and the Tyrol, which appears as an essential musical condition, characters and events are limited to that environment, and the same environment determines the dramatic or lyrical color of the music and the theatrical work. There was no shortage of strong criticism from critics but the opera was widely distributed, even reaching America, thanks to Arturo Toscanini, a friend and sincere admirer of Catalani, who directed it several times and even gave his children the names Wally and Walter. We remember a Scala inauguration with Wally in 1953, starring a superb Renata Tebaldi, who later made the first recording. A few scant revivals, then oblivion. Therefore we cannot but praise the programming of these theaters which provided the opportunity to listen to, if not a masterpiece, a very interesting work in the musical evolution of the late nineteenth century, and a rediscovery of Catalani through his other works would be desirable.
The installation with scenes by Fabio Cherstich it is quite functional, creating a snow-covered environment, a permanent glacier, which marks all the drama of the story, in which the environment has a significant impact. It must be admitted that it is very difficult to create a mountainous and snowy scene as required by the work, the set designer managed it with a happy but not too choreographic hand, also designing semi-hidden stairs that function for valid entrances and exits, focusing above all on the coldness of the environment and the cruelty of the story. Very successful directed by Nicola Berloffa which traces a reading entirely focused on the femme fatal in noir, with her cruelty and feelings, which finds a solution only in the final suicide. The other characters revolve around her but are well traced in their peculiarities, facets, without ever resorting to stereotyped languages but creating acrid and very theatrical accents with a sense of sobriety. Belli i costumes by Valeria Donata Bettella, which does not slip on the typical Triolese costume.
The director Francesco Ivan Ciampa he created a direction of great depth and marked musicality, finding a perfect balance between the different styles inherent in the score, which was created with truly admirable emphasis and colours, highlighting the best it contains.
Overall, the cast assembled is very good and doesn't have easy parts reserved for it. Session Hernandez it's a protagonist convincing from both a dramatic and lyrical point of view. He possesses an impressive and talented voice which he uses with technique and great display of phrasing. No less valid Gellner by Claudio Sgura, who in such a rude and vilan role finds theatrical and vocal accents of strong intensity, probably his best performance that I have heard.
More content Zoran Todorovich, Giuseppe, who faces a very hostile role with impetus and great will, even if not always perfectly calibrated. Serena Gamberoni achieved personal success in the role of Walter thanks to her marked boldness and punctual execution.
Very good Giovanni Battista Parodi, one Stromminger with smooth and sculpted singing, to which are added the professional Carlotta Vichi, Afra, and the perfect Pedone sung by Mattia Denti.
The Municipal Theater was almost sold out for this rarity, and at the end the large audience paid a well-deserved and authentic success to the entire company.
Lukas Franceschini
PHOTOS © Alessia Santambrogio