From Seen and Heard International
By: José M Irurzun; Photo Courtesy of the Teatro Calderón de Valladolid ©
Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of Latvian National Opera. Conductor: Pietro Rizzo. Teatro Calderón de Valladolid. 19.5.2010 (JMI)

The Teatro Calderón brought Italian director Elena Barbalich’s Macbeth to Valladolid, three years after its premier in Lisbon. The production concept is very traditional, grim, dark and well suited to the dramatic narrative. Sets are often rather light coloured however but are always appropriate while the dark toned costumes are less attractive. Lighting could have taken more advantage perhaps, of the production’s dark and scary atmosphere too. The direction portrays Lady Macbeth as the real manipulator behind her husband’s actions, which is absolutely right. The two scenes with the witches are well resolved, Macbeth’s party is less so and the ghostly apparitions and the final battle were not done so well either. There are some curious details in the production, such as the presence of the murdered King Duncan on stage, covered with a blood-spattered white sheet which when removed in order to have to the corpse washed, leaves no trace of blood on his royal skin. Overall though, this is an effective production.

The best part of the evening was the music. In charge of musical direction we had Maestro Pietro Rizzo, whose reading I found wholly convincing. I do not know how many rehearsals he had, considering that he was working with a Latvian orchestra and chorus but there was no doubt that Mr. Rizzo was in full control of all the forces under his care, producing some remarkable and truly Verdian sound. This was an excellent reading. The orchestra offered a fine execution of the score, better than what one usually hears in Valladolid, and the chorus produced a decent performance too; good rather than exceptional perhaps.

The Italian baritone Vittorio Vitelli sang Macbeth and he offered exactly what we might expect from him. He has a pleasant and homogenous voice, rather lightweight for Verdi maybe, but his biggest problem, as usual, was his lack of expressiveness and his habitual tendency to sing forte.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: José M Irurzun; pictures © Javier del Real
Soloists, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. Coro Intermezzo. Conductor: Massimo Zanetti. Teatro Real de Madrid. 23. 5.2010. (JMI)

There was a time when I was very disappointed when an opera belonging to the main repertoire was offered in concert version. With passing years I am now more inclined to accept it, provided that there is enough musical and vocal interest to justify the absence of a stage production. And since, with very few exceptions, it is almost impossible these days to see great opera singers in staged belcanto operas, I now consider the concert as a good substitute, provided that the musical and vocal quality matches the standards that these operas require.

The presence in the cast of Violeta Urmana and Sonia Ganassi largely explained Teatro Real’s slightly curious decision to go ahead with a Norma in concert version. If I am not mistaken, it is more than 30 years since has not been performed in Madrid at either the Teatro Real or Teatro de la Zarzuela.

The musical direction was entrusted to the always effective Italian conductor Massimo Zanetti. This time things worked much better than on some other occasions and this is probably the best performance I remember from him: in addition to perfectly controlled direction, he supported his singers very well and he drew an excellent performance from the orchestra along with one of the best results I can remember from the Teatro Royal’s chorus. Altogether this was an excellent musical version.

Violeta Urmana sang Norma and was clearly the main reason to program this concert. Hers was a remarkable interpretation, if not one that was completely convincing. Without entering in the discussion whether Ms Urmana is a soprano or a mezzo, I have always been convinced that she is always at her best in high mezzo roles. Norma requires a dramatic soprano with agility in the second part of the opera, while the first half requires a lyric soprano with outstanding coloratura and an easy top. In short, a true soprano is needed. Ms Urmana clearly has soprano notes, but this does not make her ideal for many sopranos roles or even some of those that she sings regularly. There was an announcement of her indisposition before the concert started and regardless of other possible health problems, I wondered if she might be suffering from “Norma virus”, as so many of her colleagues have suffered in the past. Ms Urmana is an important Norma however, despite needing better coloratura and a brighter top register. Too metallic this time and almost shouting occasionally, she was at her best in the opera’s second.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: José M Irurzun

Soloists, Orquesta y Coro Luis Mariano.Conductor: Nicola Giusti. Centro Cultural Amaia de Irún. 15.2010. (JMI)
Production Asociación Lírica Luis Mariano in coproduction with Associazione Amici Della Musica di Cuneo and Pierres Lyriques en Verán des Gaves.

The Luis Mariano Lyric Association takes its name from the world famous operetta tenor, who was born in Irún; the Association meets, with great enthusiasm, the operatic requirements of this border city of some 65,000 inhabitants. The Association’s opera performances are characterised by their great dignity, bearing in mind the difficulties faced, from a tiny stage to an orchestral space – there is no pit as such – which permits only some 30 players, and a very small budget. In these circumstances, there are two objectives which have to be met. Firstly, productions have to attract the public to the box office; next, this new public has to really enjoy what is put before them. I must say that both objectives were perfectly achieved on this occasion.

The big news – and the big plus – concerning these performances of Bellini’s La Sonnambula was the presence of Italian soprano Stefania Bonfadelli in the title role. This singer has lived through some dramatic and difficult circumstances in recent years. Still young (43), some five years ago she was one of the most beloved opera singers in the world, a regular performer at the most important opera houses. However problems in her ear forced her to cancel many bookings and led her to the operating theatre instead Her recovery has been very slow and difficult, so much so that she almost completely disappeared from the stage. This Sonnambula effectively marked Bonfadelli’s return as an opera singer, excellent news both for her and for the wider operatic community.
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