‘Maria Stuarda’ arrives on the Teatro Real and the sordid turns into elegant | Culture | EUROtoday

Although in 1834 the commonest operatic mannequin was the well-known love story between a soprano and a tenor thwarted by a baritone, Gaetano Donizetti wrote Mary Stuart for 2 main sopranos. Its libretto, based mostly on Friedrich Schiller’s tragedy in regards to the final days of Mary Stuart and her fictitious assembly with Elizabeth I by which they exchanged violent invectives, consists of virtually the identical variety of scenes and arias for every of the 2 queens.

The anecdote is known that, throughout rehearsals, the 2 primadonas They got here to blows. But it was a matter of jealousy, as Donizetti himself explains to the librettist Jacopo Ferretti in a letter: “You already know about the fight between women. What you may not know is that Ronzi (soprano Giuseppina Ronzi De Begnis, who played Maria Stuarda) spoke ill of me, believing me to be far away, and claimed that I protected that bitch from Del Sere (her colleague Anna Del Sere, who played Elisabetta). But none of that has happened these days at the Teatro Real. Even the good atmosphere between the two leading singers was evident at the end of the premiere, on December 14, when Lisette Oropesa affectionately kissed Aigul Akhmetshina amid the applause of the audience.

Both singers, who were making their debut in the characters of Maria Stuarda and Elisabetta, were the great winners of the first production of the central opera of Donizetti’s so-called Tudor Trilogy at the Teatro Real. David McVicar returned to stage direction, after the start of the season with his successful Adriana Lecouvreurbut now with a new production. It is inspired by his management of the 2012/13 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and will soon be presented at the Liceu in Barcelona, ​​the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo, La Monnaie in Brussels and the Helsinki Opera.

The dramatic concept of manager Scottish is faithful to the work, although it has barely evolved since its New York production. The changes in the movements of the choir and the singers are now more fluid and some extras have been added, although the direction of actors is still quite flat. However, the new setting is much better. We check this with Lizzie Powell’s lighting, which achieves lighting effects. living paintingbut also in the symbolic scenery of Hannah Postlethwaite, which combines the future of a gigantic orb with a wall of ears and eyes to represent the intriguing court of the Tudors. The magnificent historicist costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel stand out especially, with an ideal characterization of each character, reminiscent of her proverbial costumes for Gloriana by Britten, in 2018, where Elizabeth I of England is also represented.

The musical direction of José Miguel Pérez-Sierra from Madrid has also been another element to highlight in this production. For his brilliant management of Donizetti’s orchestration, his vivid and varied tempos that contributed to the dramatic fluidity, and his admirable accompaniment of the voices along with the attention he pays to the recitatives. At the same time, he benefited from another great performance by the Teatro Real’s Main Orchestra. And he stood out especially in the finale of the second act with that melancholy obsessive accompaniment that opens the funeral hymn of Maria’s relatives and that reminds us of the future Prelude “Raindrop” by Chopin.

His choices concerning the rating used have been much less profitable. To rescue the mediocre overture that Donizetti wrote for the premiere of the opera at La Scala in Milan, in December 1835, after the cancellation of its premiere in Naples and the reconversion of its musical numbers into Buondalmonteis barely fascinating if the Milanese model of the opera is revered. However, Pérez-Sierra selected to delete the temporary and great prelude that follows the overture, and which the whole lot signifies was additionally carried out in Milan, and even began the opera with the opening refrain. Wait right here, she’s shut included within the composer’s margin within the Naples revival of 1865. Fortunately, he saved the finale authentic of the primary act and was terribly respectful of all of the repetitions of the opposite numbers.

Precisely that preliminary refrain of the opera was the least profitable of the evening, for the reason that efficiency of the Teatro Real’s Main Choir was distinctive within the second act. We test it in Did you see? We noticed the place you hear a precedent of Verdi’s well-known patriotic choruses, but additionally in prayer Oh! You of a humble onean modern aria by Maria that progressively transforms right into a choral hymn.

The better of the evening continued till the top of the opera. Donizetti admirably balances the sordid with the elegant, however he wants a vocal artist with the expertise, expressiveness and power of Lisette Oropesa. The Cuban-born American soprano capped a formidable psychological evolution from violent confrontation to non secular elevation with 25 minutes of remarkable singing. His interpretation of the gorgeous Of a dying coronary heartwhich was nearly ruined by a mobile phone, was probably the most emotional quantity and was topped with elegant filados. But he was not left behind majestic ultimate Ah! if someday from these retorts with an beautiful hurrying and the addition of a blinding ultimate excessive notice, earlier than inserting his head on the block and we noticed the executioner increase the axe. Oropesa additionally shone in his cavatina within the first act, with beautiful phrasing, and exhibited excellent virtuosity within the cabaletta which he tastefully embellished in repetition. The solely objection was her bass, which sounded considerably pale, though no soprano as we speak has the bass that Donizetti wrote for María Malibrán.

Aigul Akhmetshina introduced drama and vocal colour to the night. It is value clarifying that the custom of assigning the soprano position of Elisabetta to a mezzo-soprano with a large excessive register comes from the decision Donizetti-Renaissance of the Fifties. This thought permits us to delve into the psychological variations of the 2 protagonists on a musical stage and was evident from the start with the wealthy and highly effective cavatina carried out by the mezzo Russian. His vocal prowess allowed him so as to add further highs and lows, though his first look sounded a bit flat and missing in nuance. He improved musically on the finish of the primary act, throughout his well-known confrontation with María, and particularly at first of the second, the place he impressed with That life was disastrous to me.

The general high quality of the solid was evident within the sextet of the finale of the primary act the place all of the characters intervene. The Cádiz tenor Ismael Jordi confronted the thankless position of Leicester with class and vocal braveness, though he didn’t seize its scenic complexity as a sentimental factor. He had his finest moments within the duets of the primary act with the 2 queens the place he risked the treble, but additionally within the trio of the second act with Elisabetta and Cecil, with an beautiful Oh! please cease. The Italian bass Roberto Tagliavini as soon as once more gave a lesson in bel canto method and uniform timbre, as noble advisor Talbot, within the scene of Maria’s confession within the second act. Finally, Polish baritone Andrzej Filończyk articulated his position as evil treasurer Cecil nicely and mezzo-soprano Elissa Pfaender offered good colour in her position as moist nurse Anna Kennedy.