In the present day
in the UK, with its egalitarian credo,
it is difficult to imagine that a mere
fifty years ago the best way of becoming
a lawyer or doctor was to be the offspring
of a male member of the chosen profession.
Three hundred years before that, the
social divisions between the classes,
as much as between the professional
and the artisan, were as insurmountable
as those preventing passing from the
nouveau riche to the aristocracy. Rossini’s
aspirations and abilities would have
been as of nought were it not for the
professional contacts of his parents.
Born in Pesaro, a small
city on the Adriatic on 29 February
1792, both Rossini’s parents were musicians.
His father was a horn player of some
ability whilst his mother, an untrained
soprano, sang small roles in opera.
The Rossini’s settled in Bologna and
at the young age of 14 the young Gioachino
became a member of the local Accademia
Filarmonica, a singular honour for one
so young. By the age of 12 he had composed
Masses and the six ‘sonate a quatro’.
At age 14 he entered the Liceo Musicale
and was reported to have devoured the
music of Haydn and Mozart. More importantly
he supplied display arias for insertion
into operas by other composers being
performed in Bologna, a common practice.
With the encouragement of the tenor
Domenico Mombelli, a friend of the family,
he composed his first opera, Demetrio
e Polibio around 1807, although it was
not performed until 1812 on his becoming
better known.
Rossini’s real chance
came in 1810, with a commission from
Venice’s Teatro San Moise. A German
composer had reneged on his contract
and through the good offices of Giovanni
Morandi and his wife, friends of Rossini’s
parents and members of the Teatro Moise
Company, the young and inexperienced
aspiring composer was commissioned in
his stead. The theatre was ideal for
his debut as it had been for several
other composers. There was a good company
of singers and a simple set for each
farsa kept expenses for the impresario
to a minimum. Rossini’s La cambiale
di matrimonio was premiered on 3 November
and he went on to compose another four
one-act farsa for the theatre in the
following 27 months (review).
However, it was a full year before Rossini’s
next opera L'equivoco stravagante
was premiered on 26 October 1811
at his hometown theatre. Written when
Rossini was only nineteen it is part
social satire and part opera buffa.
The plot revolves around the efforts
of a scheming servant, Frontono, to
break the relationship between Ernestina,
daughter of the nouveau riche farmer
Gamberotto, and her wealthy but stupid
suitor Buralicchio. He does this so
that the penniless Ermanno might seek
to have his love for Ernestina requited.
Buralicchio is deceived into believing
Ernestina is in fact Gamberotto’s castrated
son dressed in women’s clothes so as
to avoid military service. This bizarre
deception of the title eventually leads
to a happy ending.
Although the opera
was well received by the audience, the
vigilant prefecture considered it corrupting
and moved to suppress it after only
its initial three contracted performances.
Rossini, as was usual among composers
of the day, when an opera might only
be seen for a small number of performances
in one town, pillaged his own music
recycling it in later works. It is not
correct that the overture, as quickly
becomes apparent, is that which Rossini
used again in Il Barbiere and with greater
orchestral complexity in Elisabetta,
his first Naples opera. The original
autograph score is lost. This version,
a World Premiere Recording made at the
2001 Rossini in Wildbad Festival, was
prepared for the Deutsche Rossini Gesellschaft
from contemporary manuscripts in Europe
and America. The veracity of the scholarship
involved is confirmed by the imprimatur
conferred by the presence of the renowned
Rossini scholar and conductor Alberto
Zedda on the podium.
For a nineteen-year-old
composer, L’equivoco stravagante
is an ambitiously long piece. It
also shows Rossini already prepared
to push out the accepted conventions.
He gives a much greater prominence to
ensembles over solos and secco recitatives,
with varying elements mixed in a manner
that would become a distinctive hallmark
of his compositions. In this performance
the composer’s distinctive brio takes
a few pages to pick up pace. This is,
I suspect, more to do with the young
composer than with the expert Rossini
conductor Alberto Zedda who, once the
story is under way, paces it with distinction,
although the outbursts of flaccid applause
do little for dramatic verisimilitude.
The team of relatively young singers
contribute to the freshness of the opera
in both their individual solos and particularly
in the vibrancy they bring to the ensembles
and finales, where Zedda is particularly
strong. The Bulgarian mezzo Petia Petrova
(b. 1973) as Ernestina has a full-toned
and flexible voice. Her fioritura runs
are secure and well articulated (CD
2 trs. 6 and 12). As her impecunious
would-be lover, Ermano, the Argentinean
Dario Schmunck has a bright and forward
lyric tenor voice with good diction
and plenty of metal in his tone (CD
2 trs. 6 and 12). There is a typical
Rossinian duet between the lovers (CD
1 tr. 18) that precedes the terzetto
and act 1 finale (CD 1. trs. 20 and
21) and this has real brio. Gamberotto,
the newly rich farmer is sung by the
baritone Marco Di Felice (b. 1964).
He is strong-voiced and whilst getting
only a brief aria (CD 2 tr. 10) plays
a full and characterful part in the
many duets, trios and ensembles. As
the rich, young and stupid Buralicchio,
Ivo Vinco (b. 1977) adds to his growing
reputation with a well-sung and portrayed
characterisation. His bass voice is
firm with a welcome clarity of diction
(CD 1 trs 5-7). The mezzo Monica Minarelli,
as Ernestina’s servant Rosalia, is vocally
lighter and with a quick vibrato is
aurally distinct from her mistress’s
bigger and more creamy tone (CD 1 tr.
16).
The Naxos booklet has
a track-listing with cast and timings.
There is also a track-related synopsis
given in English, French, German and
Italian. This is essential in following
the full libretto, which is in Italian
without translation, and is made easier
by the clearly delineated track markings.
The recording is well balanced between
the voices and orchestra. World Premiere
Recordings are not common and this addition
to the rapidly filling discography of
Rossini’s 39 operas makes a welcome
appearance in the catalogue. The work
gives even more indications than any
of the five farsa, except perhaps Il
Signor Bruschino, of the riches that
were in store from Rossini’s pen as
he went on to become the universally
recognised father of bel canto.
Highly recommended.
Robert J Farr
see also review
by Calvin
Goodwin
Czech Chamber Chorus 
