Germany Mascagni, Cavalleria rusticana, Leoncavallo, Pagliacci: Soloists, Refrain, Further Refrain, Alsterspatzen (kids and youth refrain) of Hamburg State Opera, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Daniele Callegari (conductor). Hamburg State Opera, 29.3.2024. (DMD)
Manufacturing:
Director – Giancarlo del Monaco
Stage and Costume design – Michael Scott
Refrain director – Eberhard Friedrich
Casts:
Cavalleria rusticana
Turiddu – Marcelo Puente
Mamma Lucia – Renate Spingler
Santuzza – Ekaterina Gubanova
Alfio – George Petean
Lola – Ida Aldrian
Pagliacci
Tonio – George Petean
Canio – Vittorio Grigolo
Nedda – Anna Princeva
Beppe – Seungwoo Simon Yang
Silvio – Nicholas Mogg
The manufacturing of this double invoice dates again to 1988: with its timeless idea it has been revived quite a few occasions throughout a spread of inventive managements. The set and costumes, designed by Michael Scott, create a practical impression of a Sicilian village, with a spread of sand-coloured buildings with floor flooring doorways and home windows and first flooring balconies. Director Giancarlo del Monaco, who was one of the crucial vital advocates of directing opera true to its unique intentions (versus the Regietheater-approach) on the time, positioned fairly genuine characters inside that atmosphere. Refrain members appeared to have their private tales inside the entire. Because the solar rose on Easter morning in Cavalleria rusticana, girls appeared on their balconies, relaxed throughout the constraints of their costumes, yawning, stretching, welcoming the day and kneeling as they gave because of God for all times and nature. They met on their method to church, once more according to their respective positions throughout the village and neighbourhood hierarchies, and the seriousness of their spiritual perception. Santuzza stood out from the beginning, shunned by the others. When she approached Mamma Lucia, Lucia appeared hesitant at first as properly – however extra so due to what others may suppose or say if she was seen talking to her. After they had been extra on their very own, her motherly emotions took over, mixed with blended emotions of affection for and disappointment in her personal son. Turiddu was not unhealthy or evil, simply younger and carefree, and fast to shift his consideration from one lady to the following, harmless in a approach, immature, not realising the influence of his motion on the sentiments of others. Lola was the equally carefree lady who likes to entice males to her methods. Alfio represented the simple-minded man certain by the code of honour of his of time and place. Every in their very own approach was unable or unwilling of wanting past their mounted boundaries.
Inside that village, the play introduced by the troupe of performers represented a serious attraction in Pagliacci. The village individuals had been all the time roughly round, curious to see not solely the efficiency itself however equally to catch a glimpse of the artists’ personal lives. The emotions of affection, unanswered for Tonio, betrayed for Canio, contemporary for Silvio and Nedda, had been as central to this opera as they had been to Cavalleria rusticana. The music suggests a Mediterranean passion – monumental, overwhelming and exhausting to manage. Nedda was fed up with Canio’s love for her, particularly his jealousy. She was disturbed and disgusted by Tonio’s advances due to his disfigurement, and the second when he appeared to power himself on her got here throughout as genuinely threatening for her – she occurred to search out the whip for her self-protection, used it in self-defence and thus triggered Tonio telling Canio about her love affair with Silvio.
Conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Daniele Callegari introduced out the fireplace of the music very properly certainly, its feelings all the time clearly outlined and accentuated to breaking level. He additionally supported the singers properly. Ekaterina Gubanova has made a substantial identify for herself lately, predominantly with Wagner within the main opera homes internationally. She is a really completed and dedicated actor, making us empathise with Santuzza’s disappointment. The lengthy arcs of her music suited Gubanova’s voice very properly certainly, she was in a position to deliver heat and emotion to them. Her voice was, nevertheless, unable to hover above the refrain and to chop by the orchestra for the Easter Hymn. Renate Spingler acted and sang Mamma Lucia as a really motherly older lady, saturated in life’s experiences. Her voice sounded appropriately ‘outdated’, whereas retaining pure fantastic thing about sound – not having to rely, as with some voices of older singers, on some imprecise reminiscence or thought of what the voice could have been like in youthful years. Ida Aldrian delivered to Lola an acceptable glamour and freshness of voice. Marcelo Puente took some time onstage for his voice to heat up: his tenor was steely, principally forte and extra, which in a approach suited his portrayal of Turiddu.
Puente’s voice isn’t (but) immediately recognisable – fairly in contrast to that of the tenor solid as Canio: Vittorio Grigolo. His voice is creating the burden wanted for Canio and never solely only for the character’s signature Vesti la giubba aria. Grigolo has not fairly reached the convenience with which the function has been sung by different tenors who’ve had this aria of their repertory for longer. Grigolo needed to work exhausting, visibly and audibly so, however the place he succeeded, there was a really excessive degree of accomplishment certainly, and hope for a extra rounded efficiency at that degree in years to come back. For the curtain name he displayed some star antics of leaping about and elevating his arms excessive within the air to ask cheers from the viewers, even humbly kissing the stage flooring. This sort of behaviour appears to have change into a part of his dwell appearances, and the Hamburg viewers greeted it with some amused laughter.
George Petean appeared in each operas, as Alfio and because the Prologue and Tonio. His voice was evenly heat, robust, clearly centered and noticeably totally different for the three characters. Seungwoo Simon Yang contributed as fresh-voiced Beppe, and Nicholas Mogg was greater than dependable as Silvio. Anna Princeva was admirable as Nedda; she is an excellent actress, in a position to present a variety of acceptable feelings. Her voice sounds contemporary, with subtly differentiated nuances throughout the vary of registers and quantity. Her excessive notes sounded very safe and ringing. Princeva was clearly startled, however sought, and outwardly managed, to place up a courageous entrance, when Grigolo fairly unexpectedly kissed her totally on the mouth in a sudden outburst of pleasure on the curtain name.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe
