Show must go on – Verona starts a year with I Pagliacci (2.02.2017)
In times of abundance and in times of need… Show must go on! “Lough, pagliccio, and make the public laugh too…” – This theme will most likely follow Verona’s music scene for the rest of the year! Heavy financial crises has affected the foundation of The Arena di Verona together with its winter stage – Teatro Filarmonico. Recently, foundation had to cancel its ballet, artists still expecting the payments from last year’s productions… But the season goes on and the year successfully started with Franco Zeffirelli’s spectacular production of I Pagliacci.
Creative team of the production looks as follows:
Conductor: Valerio Galli
Director and set: Franco Zeffirelli (recreated by Stefano Trespidi)
Costumes: Raimondo Gaetani
- Nedda-Colombina: Valeria Sepe
- Canio-Pagliaccio: Rubens Pelizzari
- Tonio-Taddeo: Elia Fabbian
- Silvio: Alessio Verna
- Beppe-Arlecchino: Francesco Pittari
This particular production of I Pagliacci has a long history. It has travelled the world and featured some of the greatest stars of opera. The story placed in rather poor, modern Italian city with its working class public and kitchy burlesque of the touring theater. No need to speak much about the absorbing affect of Franco Zeffirelli‘s staging. This time round this masterpiece was recreated by Stefano Trespidi, who has a special eye for colourful and effective, vast stagings also at the Arena di Verona. Above all, after seeing both casts, it is worth to admit, that Trespidi managed to give a lot of space to the artistic individuality of each performer, at the same time maintaining the character of the Zeffirelli’s great tradition. It is indeed a rare skill in the modern opera world, where singers are often requested to be like a pair of cupcakes and just blindly fulfil directors visions, regardless of the personality, size, age, or other particularity of each of them…
Despite the young age, conductor Vallerio Galli had demonstrated perfect control of the orchestra. As an excellent interpreter of Verismo – he gave a lot of space for the individual musicality of soloists, at the same time maintaining the wholeness of the opera with the fullness of the sound – rich in colours and flowing passion and created perfect equilibrium between the stage and the orchestra.
Title role of Canio/Pagliaccio was performed by Rubens Pelizzari. His strong emotional interpretation of the famous “Vesti la giubba” touched the hearts of the public. The voice full and rich in colours perfectly matched with the character he interprets.
Nedda was interpreted by the young soprano Valeria Sepe. With this role she gave her excellent debut in Teatro Filarmonico (although, she already debuted the role and Verona remembers her Micaela at the last year’s Carmen at the Arena). Young and luminous voice of the soprano has charmed the public with her beautiful and very potent top register and lightly flowing musicality. As a singer, as well as the actress, she was very convincing in her duet with Silvio and the ballade – “Stridono lassù”.
The baritone Elia Fabian as Tonio presented rather gloomy, brutal character – big and rich voice, with excellent colour for the role. In the contrary, the other baritone of the opera – Silvio, interpreted by Alessio Verna, convinced with his soft and sweet rendition in the beautiful love-scene with Nedda.
The cast completed by the tenor Francesco Pittari as an excellent Arlecchino/Beppe – with clear voice and convincing acting, displaying the tragic and comic extremes of his character (and whole opera).
Outstanding was the choir of Teatro Filarmonico under the direction of Paolo Facincani and Vito Lombardi (Maestro del coro).
La Redazione
