Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
Il Viaggio A Rheims - dramma giocoso in one
act (1825)
rec. live, Königliches Kurtheater, Bad Wildbad, Germany, 8, 10, 12 July
2014, 26th Bad Wildbad Festival
NAXOS 8.660382-84 [3 CDs: 54.51 + 48.07 + 53.51]
Long thought lost, the story of the re-emergence of Il
Viaggio a Reims in 1984 is worth recounting as a start to any review.
In 1823, having severed all connections with Naples and having visited
and worked in London and sang with the King, Rossini was appointed Director
of the Théâtre Italien in Paris. His contract required him to present
productions of his own works, and those of other composers, as well
as writing new works, in French, for presentation at The Opéra (Théâtre
de l’Académie Royale de Musique). The works in French were a little
slow in coming, as Rossini needed to grapple with the prosody of the
language and re-align his own compositional style towards that of his
new hosts. However, first on Rossini’s agenda was the unavoidable
duty of an opera to celebrate the coronation of Charles X in Reims Cathedral
in June 1825 as France, fully recovered from Napoleonic Republicanism
and Empire status, returned to a second Bourbon King and trifled again
with monarchy. Called Il viaggio a Reims, it was composed to
an Italian libretto and presented at the Théâtre Italien on 19 June
that year. It was hugely successful in three sold-out performances after
which Rossini withdrew it considering it purely a pièce d’occasion.
The score was subsequently believed to be lost. However, never one to
let good music and tunes go to waste, Rossini reused nine of the numbers
in Le Comte Ory, premiered at The Opéra in 1828 and written,
as required, to a French language libretto. The proper cataloguing of
archive material in the possession of opera houses and museums in the
1970s coincided with musicological research by Elisabeth Bartlet, the
French opera scholar, and the Rossini specialist Philip Gossett. They
traced original material from Il viaggio a Reims in Paris,
Vienna and Rome. Together with readily available scores of Le Comte
Ory this facilitated a critical edition of the lost opera to be
presented, with a cast of internationally renowned singers, at the Pesaro
Rossini Festival in 1984. This story is outlined in the booklet of the
original issue of the associated DG recording under Abbado and its mid-priced
re-issue (review).
More details of the fascinating story of the rediscovery of this wonderful
Rossini score are to be found in Philip Gossett’s book Divas
and Scholars (Chicago, 2006). Subsequent musicological work by
Elisabeth Bartlet has allowed this current critical edition to include
music not discovered until after that recording was made. Other, brief,
non-Rossini intrusions as were included in the earlier recording are
avoided here with all recitatives included together with two short sections
of ballet music in the final variations of the theme Vive Henri
IV.
The opera plot, if it can be called that, makes a parody of the stereotypes
of the persons of various nationalities who become stranded, through
lack of horses, at the Golden Lily Inn on their way to the Coronation
of Carlos in Reims. The complications of the plot involve secret love,
a bit of two-timing by a tenor, a challenge to a duel and an agreement
to spend the money saved by their aborted journey on a grand banquet.
The final scene is a divertissement to celebrate harmony, each guest
singing a song from his or her own country. This ends with an improvisation
of five stanzas by Corinna to the new King after which come the short
dances, toasts to the king. The the guests then sing a final vivat to
the glory of France.
The occasion of the Coronation determined the musical forces Rossini
had at his disposal. Every important singer at the Théâtre Italien participated
and the composer, knowing his or her vocal strengths intimately, wrote
accordingly. There are roles for three prima donna sopranos, a contralto,
two tenors, four baritones and basses, as well as several comprimario
parts. As Gossett writes: "… knowing each of his singers
to be a master of Italian vocal style, Rossini allowed his writing to
luxuriate in their abilities." The circumstances of this first
production of the then newly reconstructed score at Pesaro in 1984,
including the presence of Abbado and the proposed recording, brought
together a similar level of luxury casting. The cast of principals included
one American, a couple of Spanish speakers with the rest being native
Italians. All were well versed in the Rossini idiom and were among the
leaders in Italian opera performances during the Rossini revival of
the previous decade. That said, by the time of the recording, many had
moved on to heavier, more dramatic roles, rather than comic ones. In
contrast, this performance from the Bad Wildbad Festival in 2014 differs
in that the singers are mostly either still active in the Rossini fach
or are young singers, often from Eastern Europe, beginning to make their
way in the profession. All of them are appropriately and flexibly voiced
with the basses being sonorous as required. They provide vocal embellishments
as are appropriate in style and help keep the vivacity and humour to
the forefront, under Antonino Fogliani’s flexible and idiomatic
baton. It is just a pity that at the bargain price it is not possible
to provide a full libretto and translation for full appreciation. For
those who own the earlier DG recording it is easy to follow that libretto
whilst allowing the listener easily to pick up the extra music involved
as well as that not belonging to Rossini.
Whilst I greatly enjoy the DG recording and its all-star cast, I was
pleasantly surprised at how much enjoyment I had in playing this Bad
Wildbad version. Taken from live performances, there are intrusions
of applause, but these are not excessive whilst the overall recording
quality has clarity with only rare loss of vocal focus. It is invidious
to pick out individuals in what is a first class team effort. However,
I was pleased to realise that when Ewa Podles eventually hangs up her
vocal chords the Italian contralto fach will be blessed by the presence
of Marianna Pizzolato. Likewise, not all will be lost when tenors Juan
Diego Florez and Michael Spyres move on. The light and flexible-voiced
tenors included here are idiomatic and pleasant and easy on the ear
without strain or reediness of tone.
As usual with Naxos opera recordings the accompanying leaflet includes
a track-notated synopsis in English, French and German as well as full
track-listing and timings. A brief informative essay by Reto Müller
gives some historical perspectives as well as a brief recent performance
history, again in the three languages. Most welcome also are brief singer
biographies, but in English only.
Robert J Farr
Performance details
Madame Cortese, the Tyrolean owner of the Golden Lily
Inn - Alessandra Marianelli (soprano); Baron Von Trombonok,
a German aristocrat and music-lover - Bruno Praticò, (bass); Contessa
de Folleville, a widow and Parisian lady of fashion - Sofia Mchedlishvili
(soprano); Count Libenskof, a Russian General in love with Marchesa
Melibea - Maxim Mironov (tenor); Marchesa Melibea, a young Polish widow
- Marianna Pizzolato (alto); Don Alvaro, a Spanish admiral - Gezim Myshketa
(bass); Corinna, a poetess from Rome - Laura Giordano (soprano); Belfiore,
a young French chevalier in pursuit of Contessa de Folleville - Bogdan
Mihai (tenor); Modestina, her maid - Annalisa D’Agosto (mezzo);
Lord Sidney, an English aristocrat in love with Corina - Mirco Palazzi
(bass); Don Profondo, an antique collector - Bruno De Simone (buffo
bass); Maddalena, the housekeeper - Olesya Berman Chuprinova (mezzo);
Don Prudenzio, a spoof doctor and buffoon - Baurzhan Anderzhanov (bass);
Don Luigino, cousin of Contessa de Folleville - Carlos Cardosa (tenor);
Antonio, Maitre d’hotel - Lucas Samoza Osterc (bass)
Camerata Bach Choir, Poznan
Virtuoso Brunensis/Antonino Fogliani
Performed in the Critical Edition by M Elizabeth Bartlet
