La pietra del paragone
is seventh in the Rossini opera oeuvre
and one of no fewer than six of his
operatic works that had their first
performance in 1812 when the composer
was a mere twenty years old. I was his
first commission for La Scala, then
as now one of the most prestigious theatres
in Italy. The first night of La pietra
del paragone was a resounding success,
the opera going on to a further fifty-two
performance that season. It was undoubtedly
the pinnacle of Rossini's first period
and barely a year before he received
international recognition with Tancredi
and L’Italiana in Algeri premiered
at Venice's La Fenice and San Benedetto
theatres respectively. It was in the
finale of La pietra del paragone
that the public first heard the Rossini
crescendo. Most importantly, as a consequence
of its success the composer was exempted
military service; very useful with ninety
thousand Italian conscripts sustaining
heavy losses in the Peninsular War and
on the Russian Campaign!
The libretto, by Luigi
Romanelli, is no masterpiece of verse
but does allow Rossini to show off his
paces as a wit and as a romantic scene
painter. The improbable, not to say
convoluted plot, involves the affluent
Count Asdrubale who wants a wife who
will love him for himself not his wealth
or status. He is pursued by three widows
and construes a plot to be seen to be
bankrupt. This enables him to ascertain
that it is only Clarice of the three
who really loves him. She in turn tests
the Count by disguising herself as her
own twin brother and threatening to
remove Clarice. Needless to say all
ends happily. Unusually in opera, a
bass and a low mezzo or contralto sings
the two lovers.
Despite its reputation
amongst Rossini enthusiasts and scholars,
La pietra del paragone has fared
poorly in the theatre and on record.
A 1972 recording on Vanguard featuring
the young Carreras is still shown in
the catalogue, as has been an abbreviated
live performance on Nuovo Era. The opera
featured at Glyndebourne in 1964 in
a bowdlerised Germanic version that
greatly offended Gui and, to the best
of my knowledge, hasn't been seen there
since. However, the work has maintained
its popularity in Germany in a version
by Günther Rennart under the title
Die Liebespoke which the booklet
accompanying the Naxos recording from
Bad Wildbad in 2001(Review)
suggests takes away much of the charm
of the original and degrades it to an
operetta.
The establishment of
the Rossini Foundation at Pesaro, the
composer's birthplace, and the associated
annual Rossini Festival, were bound
to get round to this work and it was
presented there, in this updated staging,
in 2002. The Pesaro production transferred
to the Teatro Real, Madrid where this
performance was filmed in April 2007.
My viewing of it followed within two
weeks that of the Naïve label DVD
(V 5089) of performances of the
opera at the Théâtre du
Châtelet, Paris, in January 2007
and reviewed elsewhere on this site.
As I noted then, it never rains but
that it pours. Yes, but it respect of
the two DVD recordings chalk and cheese
are more apt. The only things that the
two performances have in common are
an excellent tenor as Giocondo, the
Count’s friend, and an updated production,
including a swimming pool and a game
of tennis.
It is no accident that
the biggest strength of the Naïve
performance was in the singing of an
experienced Rossinian as Giocondo. In
this performance, and hardly into the
overture, albeit with a symphony orchestra
not a period instrument band, it is
the verve, vitality and sheer brio that
flow under Alberto Zedda’s baton that
hit me (Disc 1 Ch.2). Hardly unexpected
in a way, as Zedda is as well known
as an accomplished Rossini conductor
as well as being a scholar of note who
helped establish the Rossini Foundation
nearly thirty years ago. He has been
conducting the composer’s works for
even longer and has a distinguished
discography to his credit. Importantly
Zedda and his producer also have a very
experienced team of Rossini singers
on stage. Some, like Raúl Gimenez
as Giocondo, have specialised in bel
canto including Rossini for nearly twenty
years. I admired Gimenez’s impassioned
singing and acting as Argirio in the
performances of Tancredi deriving
from the Pesaro production (Review).
He shows similar vocal strengths
here, acting the part
of Giocondo with appropriate élan,
suave demeanour and conviction (Disc
1 Ch.3 and Disc 2 Ch.3). As his friend,
and for whom he concedes Clarice, Ivo
Vinco as Count Asdrubale is another
seasoned Rossini performer, albeit of
a more recent vintage. I was greatly
impressed with his Dandini in La
Cenerentola (Review)
whilst finding his Mustafa in L’Italiana
in Algeri not yet wholly convincing
vocally (Review).
Here, his firm flexible lightish bass
is perfectly suited to the role. Add
Vinco’s natural seeming acting, whether
as suave and debonair land owning aristocrat
of act one, supposed bankrupt (Disc
1 Ch.11), or lovelorn suitor when he
thinks Clarice has been removed from
him (Disc 2 Ch. 8) and his is a convincing
all round portrayal. As the journalist
Macrobi, the experienced Pietro Spagnoli
(Disc 1 Ch.10) and Poalo Bordogna as
the ardent poet Pacuvio (Disc 1 Ch.8)
add quality to the male line up in both
singing and acting.
As I have already noted,
unusually in opera, the lovers in La
pietra del paragone are from the
lowest vocal registers. As Clarice,
the widow who really loves the Count
rather than his money and status, Marie-Ange
Todorovich is more a low mezzo than
true contralto. Tall and elegant in
whichever on the many opulent dresses
that adorn each of the ladies in this
production, she sings and acts with
total conviction. Add vocal flexibility
and expression in Rossini’s florid writing,
good legato and palette of colours and
she is the near ideal counterpart to
Ivo Vinco’s elegantly sung and played
Count (Disc 1 Ch.5 and Disc 2 Ch.7).
I found the Fulvia of Particia Biccire,
who sang Oscar in Verdi’s Un Ballo
in Maschera at Covent Garden in
2007, a little thin vocally (Disc 1
Ch. 5). As the third widow in pursuit
of the Count, Laura Brioli acts well
and plays her part in ensembles.
The plot lends itself
to updating and Pier Luigi Pizzi goes
the whole hog. The set for both acts
is based on the Counts two storey villa
fronting on to a swimming pool, complete
with water. There is some splashing
about in decorous swimming attire, for
the men as well as the women, in act
one! Only in some of the excessive frolics
surrounding Clarice’s return as her
twin brother, the pitch requirements
of which probably explains the role
being written for a contralto, did I
find the stage business overdone (Disc
2 CH.7). Otherwise, Pier Luigi Pizzi
handles the details of the unfolding
plot with the sure hand I expect from
him. The grassed grounds of the Count’s
estate extend round the orchestra pit
and down into the auditorium; probably
because of the production’s origins
in the small Pesaro theatre. Various
entrances and exits are affected via
the auditorium including the departure
and return of the hunters (Disc 2 Chs.1-2)
and soldiers (Ch.7) portrayed with commitment
and sung with vocal vibrancy. Although
Pier Luigi Pizzi’s experienced hand
is to be seen in many details of the
set and production and which allows
the work to be fully enjoyed in this
updating, I could not help wondering
how the La Scala premiere was staged.
Perhaps someone will unearth the production
details and mis en scene from
the theatre archives and mount a production
based round it.
This early work of
the young Rossini has all the hallmarks
of his emerging genius, including a
musical representation of a storm and
march as well as a characterful overture.
Sound wise, the soloist’s voices are
a little recessed compared with the
orchestra, particularly when singing
from the upper storey of the Count’s
villa. Otherwise this production, as
well as its orchestral playing and singing,
better represents Rossini’s early work
than the Théâtre du Châtelet
production. Each act is presented on
one disc.
Robert J Farr.
Chorus
and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid/Alberto
Zedda 
OA
0987 D [2 DVDs:189min]
