The Turk in Italy (Il Turco in Italia): Opera review

A welcome L.A. debut for the 197-year-old Rossini Opera.

LA Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavlion (13 March)

Simone Alberghini, Nino Machaidze, Thomas Allen, Paolo Gavanelli, Maxim Mironov, Kate Lindsey, Matthew O'Neill

Gioachino Rossini

Axel Weidauer

Sparkling wine, if not sparkling, the production of Il Turco in Italia (the Turk in Italy), the Saturday night at the Opera LA was opened is a welcome introduction in Gioacchino Rossini'smark rarely staged comedy of romantic intrigue for most of the local audience. Sung and beautifully designed dynamically in particular by Nino Machaidze and Paolo Gavanelli , import from Staatsoper Hamburg may not fully recognize the Dramma buffo's potential for stormy character humor, but is amusing and taste enough to work as a worthy precursor of the composer of the Barber of Seville to confirm, which followed less than two years later.

Il Turco, which was 13. Rossini's Opera, written, when he was 22, trail at its premiere at the Teatro alla Scala in 1814 released. Rossini biographer Stendhal was probably right in the Milan scorn are attributed to, the text is the perceived insult to Italians, the husband of a Turkish interloper cuckolded. In any case the serious-minded sex farce, which owes more than a small debt to Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, beginning with his Naples setting, mainly from the Repertoire of the international opera houses between 1850 and 1950, when Maria Callas said disappeared on the map back. Still, it remained relatively dark, never have or been brought up at the met in Los Angeles to most observers it view will be with new eyes.

The action to the modern day, or something if you very close to it, original Director Christof Loy and Axel Weidauer, it here, restaged the comic tone to start successfully set if, as in a back of the cabin scene in A night at the Opera, the full choir is the folding chairs are of a small car trailer. Among the many gypsies is take their residence on the beach of the beautiful Zaida, a refugee from a failed romance with their Turkish masters, the Prince Salim.

Soon show said to his fortune, which is clumsy and sophisticated Don Geronio, who rightly fear is his bomb wife Fiorilla cheats on him. For the moment the object is your attention dreamy young Narciso, but hardly will appear Salim, anxious to try out that sensual miracle of Italy as he and Fiorilla inseparable and became insatiable.

Rossini and librettist Felice Romani enriched the piece's comic possibilities through the inclusion of the pre-Pirandellian figure of poet playwright, monitored, and often stimulates the character interactions to material for a game ("horned husband.") A capricious woman. There's nothing better!, "(,_schwaermt_der_Schriftsteller)." With three men in the struggle for the favor of a woman and two women jealous for the attention of a man ("tabby vs. tart," as the translation says charming), passions are so inflamed that the characters of flailing at each other, even after the music stops one at the end of the law can even stop.

After the mandatory UN Ballo in Maschera and sequence of disguised identities in Act two almost all is resolved harmoniously in traditional, ultra-Mozart-mode. But, it's a bit of a haul; the comic momentum is Thrwarted again and again by a sequence of recitatives, which is ultimately redeemed by Fiorilla's climactic ARIA, tap the Machaidze of the Park.

While all the principals are absolutely solid, it is clear that two of you at a level which is slightly higher than the work. Fiorilla is an earthy southern Italian Cannibal weapons like Loren, Cardinale or Bellucci image could. Especially when cast in a succession of narrow red outfits, has Machaidze which compasseth Georgian sensation that last your LA Opera season in the elixir of love, debut, Salim no difficulties to this line of the carnal beauties like yourself and spurns you silly old man, which is played and sung by Italian baritone Gavanelli, his company debut with booming old world taste.

The requirements for veteran baritone Thomas Allen are in the role of the poet Prosdocimo is more comic than vocal and he meets you sent. In the title role, bass-baritone Simone Alberghini could strides over with the corresponding air of entitlement, but an extra layer of clown self-importance the comedic piece have provided, which is missing from the industry as a whole seems. Kate Lindsey mezzo-soprano and tenor Maxim Mironov, both in your company debuts, are easy on the eyes and ears as Zaida and Narciso.

Conductor James Conlon, that the only time that he has ever noticed Il Turco in Italia saw he worked on as a student volunteer was a production of New York in 1964, led the spirited Orchestra. The beautifully colored scenery and costume design by Herbert Maurauer, modernist without manners, see is a joy throughout.

Location: LA Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavlion (13 March)
Starring: Simone Alberghini, Nino Machaidze, Thomas Allen, Paolo Gavanelli, Maxim Mironov, Kate Lindsey, Matthew O'Neill
Music: Gioachino Rossini
Text: Felice Romani, based on an earlier Libretto by Caterino Mazzola
Conductor: James Conlon
World premiere: Christof Loy
Director: Axel Weidauer
Stage design and costumes: Herbert Maurauer
Lighting designer: Reinhard Traub

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