Grand Opera Gala from Bellini to Puccini in Catania – It could be said that the real protagonists of the evening were the orchestra, led by maestro Miquel Ortega, and the choir –
By Natalia Di Bartolo
TheThe Grand Opera Gala entitled “From Bellini to Puccini”, offered by the Massimo Bellini theater in Catania on 27 May 2018 to the season ticket holders, in place of the Andrea Chénier which was postponed after the summer, was a good opportunity to enjoy the intensity sound and emotional given by the stable orchestra and choir of the Etna theater, first and foremost. It could be said, therefore, that the real protagonists of the evening were the orchestra, led by maestro Miquel Ortega, and the choir.
True gems were the songs from The Stranger and La sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini and by Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti. We continued with the symphony da The pirate Bellinian and with the choir of bells from Pagliacci of Leoncavallo. It all culminated with the symphony of Norma, of the beloved fellow citizen Cigno, who concluded the concert program and on which the Catania orchestra visibly feeds, basking and blissing out.
On stage, obviously, the soloists: the soprano Amarilli Nizza, the tenor Hector Lopez and the baritone Alberto Gazale.
The program contained pearls of Italian opera in a long excursus of very famous and improbable arias and duets, with the inclusion of an operetta from The Merry Widow by Lehár and a precious encore by Il Trovatore Verdian. All in the name of the "netless" Grand Gala. The three performers, in fact, proved to be involved in a considerable commitment, with few rehearsals and a great desire to put on a show. Therefore, despite some wide sopranile vibrato, some inadequacy of the tenor phrasing and some excess of baritone thrust, the vocal contribution was pleasant.
A spontaneous consideration, then, comes here: the Catania theater has a jewel-orchestra, which is increasingly refined and calibrated with the growth of the age and experience of its "historical" members, as well as of the gifted new generations; an orchestra which, if well guided, finds deep motivations within itself and expresses itself with an unmistakable colour, establishing itself among the best in the operatic repertoire, especially Bellini's, at an international level.
The caliber of the Choir was also excellent, finally being heard conducted with care and experience by the gentle hand of Maestro Gea Garatti Ansini.
Maestro Ortega obviously made a fundamental contribution to the progress of the evening, offering the public pleasant and well-calibrated dynamics and adequate tempos, apart from a few fleeting delays.
Overall, the audience in shift D was enthusiastic, invited to the matinee which was, in fact, the premiere of the concert; equally the large number of spectators and tourists who filled the wonderful Catania theater.
Natalia Di Bartolo ©
PHOTOS © Giacomo Orlando, Teatro Massimo Bellini