Living at the Opera

Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
Torvaldo e Dorliska - Drama semiserio in two acts (1815)

Dorliska - Darina Takova (soprano)
Duca d’Ordow - Michele Pertusi (bass)
Torvaldo - Francesco Meli (tenor)
Giorgio - Bruno Practico (bass)
Carlotta - Jeannette Fisher (soprano)
Ormondo - Simone Alberghini (bass-baritone)

Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano Trento
Conductor: Victor Pablo Perez
Prague Chamber Choir
Chorus Master: Lubomir Matl
Director: Mario Martone
Set designer: Sergio Tramonti
Costume designer: Ursula Patzak
Light designer: Cesare Accetta
Fortepiano: Giulio Zappa
Cello continuo: David Etheve
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Edizione critica della Fondazione Rossini in collaborazione di Casa Ricordi Rec. live, Teatro Rossini, Pesaro, August, 2006. Synopsis and essays in Italian, English, French and German. DYNAMIC 33528 2DVDS: 157 Min.

It is not often an opera goer gets to revisit a fondly remembered performance hoping the praiseworthy first impressions still ring true. Fortunately, the solid musical and dramatic values from the Rossini Opera Festival’s production of Torvaldo e Dorliska are still very much alive on this recently issued DVD taped in August 2006. And what stands out about the DVD is the care Dynamic took in presenting both the gentle reflections and the forceful declamations in Rossini’s semiserio opera, letting the camera capture these contrasting musical moments the composer recognized were essential to this genre.

Looking back at what I wrote on livingattheopera.com in ‘06, all the innovative moments from this production are there on the DVD. One reason is Mario Martone’s fluid, but sturdy directorial hand in guiding his dedicated cast through librettist Cesare Sterbini’s comic and serious dramaturgy. Another is conductor Victor Pablo Perez, whose able assistance gave the composer’s music its fullest performance value.

It helps in these semiserie works if the story unfolds simply and directly, and of course, Torvaldo does. Set in an unspecified European country sometime before the 16th century, in the dark, hooded woods surrounding the castle of the tyrannical Duke of d’Ordow, the knight Torvado comes in search of his wife, Dorliska. Helping him to rescue his beloved is Giorgio, the custodian of the castle. The Duke, thinking Torvaldo is dead, is ravaged with his own unrequited love for Dorliska. Giorgio, naturally conflicted between his loyalty to the Duke and his empathy for Torvaldo’s plight, decides to help the people’s uprising against the oppressive ruler, which results in reuniting Torvaldo and Dorliska. The opera ends with general rejoicing, a must in semiseria opera.

The tale’s simplicity in no way hides the commitment the four leads bring to their roles. In fact, Tiziano Mancini’s video-camera work follows the ebb and flow of Martone’s directorial style so neatly that the performances gain in emotional stature as the opera progresses. Mancini’s closeups become even more significant by the way he pulls the camera back at the exact moment the character changes his or her emotional footing, involving the viewer to an even greater extent than in the house, if that is possible. For that reason, the drama moves smoothly to the forefront partnering the vocal insights of bass Michele Pertusi as the Duke and bass Bruno Practico as Giorgio. The camera also intensifies the dramatic gifts of Franceso Meli as Torvaldo and Darina Takova as Dorliska, as well as their vocal achievements.

Set designer, Mario Tramonti extended the proscenium out and around the orchestra pit allowing the singers greater freedom of movement. He also built side steps that led into the two main aisles of the intimate Teatro Rossini extending the action into an even wider area. Mancini captures Tramonti’s illusion of a desolate space, moving the camera around the opera house showing not only a beautiful production, but this lovely setting for Rossini’s authentic interpretation of opera semiserio.

Visual purists may find some of the colors invading each other’s space when a surer hand is needed to keep them in check, but this may be due to how the production was lit as opposed to Mancini’s own lighting choices. But in the end, this is a small price for the viewer to pay for the opportunity to see and hear one of Rossini’s neglected works performed in such a distinguished production.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 29th, 2007 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Italian opera, DVD & CD reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.