I love Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, the latter even more so for the more dramatic story. Both have gorgeous music whether it is the Easter Hymn, Intermezzo, Si Puo or Vesti La Giubba, both have held much affection to me since singing in the chorus for both and both deserve a good production at least. I found this Cav/Pag though disappointing, uneven vocally and unimaginative in terms of staging. If I were to say which was better, I'd say Cavalleria as the cast were a little more even but Pagliacci had the best overall performance.
There are some good things that are consistent in the two performances. One is the orchestral playing, doing justice to the lush orchestration of the Intermezzo and to the power of Non Pagliaccio Non Son. Two is the chorus, whether rejoicing that spring has returned, singing praise to the lord, singing about the bells, demanding for the show to be put on or reacting to Canio's increasingly intense nature in the final scene, they react well to everything without being static or Prima-Donna-ish and sing with beautiful tone and balance. Three, the conducting is commanding and nuanced, with signs of good phrasing and musicality. The video directing and sound are decent.
Pagliacci: The best performance is in Pagliacci(which is uncharacteristically first to show here). That is of Ambrogio Maestri, whose Tonio is superb. His voice is powerful, dark and rich, perfect for the scenes with Nedda, while bringing musical nuances to Si Puo, in my mind one of the greatest opening arias ever. Dramatically he is just as good, managing to leer ominously and sarcastically while making the audience feel amusement, sympathy and disgust for him at the same time. Mario Cassi is decent also as Silvio, though not on the same level as Maestri, being suitably dashing and sympathetic. Beppe was also not bad though isn't in enough of the opera to shine as much.
Sadly, the two leads don't convince. Jose Cura is little better than his Zurich outing in the role of Canio, which I found myself disliking. I have heard him in better shape before, here he sounds wobbly and constricted with a lot of strident phrasing instead of controlled legato. For Vesti La Guibba I never found him anguished enough, and in Non Pagliaccio Non Son instead of an increasingly terrifying brute again like in Zurich Cura plays him too much of a blubbering fool. As his wife Nedda, Oksana Dyka is a little better vocally, with more nuances and control she has great potential for the future. However I don't think she is quite there with her acting, the bitchiness, vulnerability or the sheer panic don't really come across.
The staging in both Cavalleria and Pagliacci is very unimaginative. The pink and green neon colours were too garish for my tastes as well as the use of urban gypsies, hookers, overpasses and run-down campers, almost as if this setting was predictably sordid. And Martone certainly doesn't make his point very subtly as we see with Silvio picking up a streetwalker in his car. I was especially saddened with the final touch, the ambiguity of whether it is part of the show or whether it's real was part of that scene's compelling intensity. This is completely spoilt by Martone's decision for Canio to exit up the main aisle drenched in blood.
Cavalleria Rusticana: Cavalleria's setting in this production doesn't fare all that much better. Like Pagliacci it is very sordid, setting it in what looks like a brothel and again hookers are prominent. And to add insult to injury, the lighting is often much too dark, which for an opera set in spring, which I give to signify new life, that approach didn't work. To have the action in front of the villagers made little sense, it makes them aware of the action before Turridu's drinking song which is the opposite of what the music implies. Other than the setting, what was disappointing most about the whole production was that the main characters' relationships and motivations didn't really convince. The still existing love of Turridu and Santuzza, the compassion of Mama Lucia and Nedda's pain for preparing to leave Canio that Franco Zeffirelli conveyed superbly in the 1978(Met) and 1982(film) productions are best left to the imaginations.
Luciana D'Intino was always going to be the main attraction of Cavalleria, and while she is not in her very best voice with a large break in her voice now, her top soars freely and consistently she's powerful making her histrionics in Voi Lo Sapete all the more convincing. She is just as compelling an actress, impassioned and moving. Salvatore Licitra is rather stand-and-sing as an actor, but his ringing tenor voice and clear diction make him a solid Turridu. Claudio Sgura has a wonderful dark voice as Alfio, and acts well if perhaps not as distinguished as D'Intino. Elena Zilio is a poignant Mamma Lucia with a sturdy voice.
So overall, rather disappointing. Definitely watchable for the quality of the musical values and the performances of D'Intino and Maestri, but anybody expecting detailed character direction or good production values better off see the Zeffirelli films or the late-60s Karajan versions. 5/10 Bethany Cox
There are some good things that are consistent in the two performances. One is the orchestral playing, doing justice to the lush orchestration of the Intermezzo and to the power of Non Pagliaccio Non Son. Two is the chorus, whether rejoicing that spring has returned, singing praise to the lord, singing about the bells, demanding for the show to be put on or reacting to Canio's increasingly intense nature in the final scene, they react well to everything without being static or Prima-Donna-ish and sing with beautiful tone and balance. Three, the conducting is commanding and nuanced, with signs of good phrasing and musicality. The video directing and sound are decent.
Pagliacci: The best performance is in Pagliacci(which is uncharacteristically first to show here). That is of Ambrogio Maestri, whose Tonio is superb. His voice is powerful, dark and rich, perfect for the scenes with Nedda, while bringing musical nuances to Si Puo, in my mind one of the greatest opening arias ever. Dramatically he is just as good, managing to leer ominously and sarcastically while making the audience feel amusement, sympathy and disgust for him at the same time. Mario Cassi is decent also as Silvio, though not on the same level as Maestri, being suitably dashing and sympathetic. Beppe was also not bad though isn't in enough of the opera to shine as much.
Sadly, the two leads don't convince. Jose Cura is little better than his Zurich outing in the role of Canio, which I found myself disliking. I have heard him in better shape before, here he sounds wobbly and constricted with a lot of strident phrasing instead of controlled legato. For Vesti La Guibba I never found him anguished enough, and in Non Pagliaccio Non Son instead of an increasingly terrifying brute again like in Zurich Cura plays him too much of a blubbering fool. As his wife Nedda, Oksana Dyka is a little better vocally, with more nuances and control she has great potential for the future. However I don't think she is quite there with her acting, the bitchiness, vulnerability or the sheer panic don't really come across.
The staging in both Cavalleria and Pagliacci is very unimaginative. The pink and green neon colours were too garish for my tastes as well as the use of urban gypsies, hookers, overpasses and run-down campers, almost as if this setting was predictably sordid. And Martone certainly doesn't make his point very subtly as we see with Silvio picking up a streetwalker in his car. I was especially saddened with the final touch, the ambiguity of whether it is part of the show or whether it's real was part of that scene's compelling intensity. This is completely spoilt by Martone's decision for Canio to exit up the main aisle drenched in blood.
Cavalleria Rusticana: Cavalleria's setting in this production doesn't fare all that much better. Like Pagliacci it is very sordid, setting it in what looks like a brothel and again hookers are prominent. And to add insult to injury, the lighting is often much too dark, which for an opera set in spring, which I give to signify new life, that approach didn't work. To have the action in front of the villagers made little sense, it makes them aware of the action before Turridu's drinking song which is the opposite of what the music implies. Other than the setting, what was disappointing most about the whole production was that the main characters' relationships and motivations didn't really convince. The still existing love of Turridu and Santuzza, the compassion of Mama Lucia and Nedda's pain for preparing to leave Canio that Franco Zeffirelli conveyed superbly in the 1978(Met) and 1982(film) productions are best left to the imaginations.
Luciana D'Intino was always going to be the main attraction of Cavalleria, and while she is not in her very best voice with a large break in her voice now, her top soars freely and consistently she's powerful making her histrionics in Voi Lo Sapete all the more convincing. She is just as compelling an actress, impassioned and moving. Salvatore Licitra is rather stand-and-sing as an actor, but his ringing tenor voice and clear diction make him a solid Turridu. Claudio Sgura has a wonderful dark voice as Alfio, and acts well if perhaps not as distinguished as D'Intino. Elena Zilio is a poignant Mamma Lucia with a sturdy voice.
So overall, rather disappointing. Definitely watchable for the quality of the musical values and the performances of D'Intino and Maestri, but anybody expecting detailed character direction or good production values better off see the Zeffirelli films or the late-60s Karajan versions. 5/10 Bethany Cox
