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SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
 

V. Martín i Soler, Una Cosa Rara: Soloists, Joven Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid. Coro Amigos Teatro Calderón. Conductor: Sergio Alapont, Teatro Calderón de Valladolid. 14.4.2010. (JMI)

Production Palau de les Arts de Valencia.

Director: Francisco Negrín (Original) Emilio Jose López (Revival).

Sets: Rifail Ajdarpasic and Ariane Isabell Unfried.

Costumes: Louis Desiré.

Lighting: David Sadler.

Choreography: Ana Yepes.

Cast:

Isabella: Dolores Lahuerta.

Giovanni: Joel Prieto.

Lilla: María Hinojosa.

Ghita: Marta Ubieta.

Lubino: Isaac Galán.

Tita: Lluis Martínez-Agudo.

Corrado: Javier Tomé.

Lisargo: Elia todisco.


Among the varied musical offerings in Valladolid, both at Auditorium Miguel Delibes and Teatro Calderón, it was a surprise to see the Martín i Solers opera Una Cosa Rara in the production premiered in Valencia last February. Next month there will be Verdi’s Macbeth and a concert version of Rossini’s Barber under Jean Christophe Spinosi.

This production of Una Cosa Rara was also covered by Seen and Heard at its premiere in Valencia and nothing very new can be added now. Even some of the young singers were also present in Valencia.

As in Valencia the musical direction was in the hands of Sergio Alapont. Sadly, he repeated the same poor impression he left in Valencia. This true opera buffa by Martín i Soler requires a very lively baton, while Alapont’s reading reamined rather flat and boring, particularly in the first. The orchestra cannot be compared with what we had in Valencia either.

The singers were once again mostly young, many of them coming from the Centro de Perfeccionamiento Plácido Domingo in Valencia. Queen Isabella was Dolores Lahuerta, a light soprano with a pleasant timbre and good figure who is also an interesting actress, with the slight handicap of a rather strained high register. Tenor Joel Prieto repeated his performance as Prince Giovanni and again showed off his attractive but small volume voice, and he too was rather tight at the top. Maria Hinojosa also reprised her Valencia Lilla and was still quite convincing as singer and actress, although she might improve her high notes when singing forte.

Marta Ubieta was a persuasive Ghiţa, a kind of Despina and it was clear that she is a more experienced singer than her colleagues. Her performance was generally brilliant. Isaac Galán was better as Lubino than in Valencia and it was good to discover that he has progressed significantly within a short period. We still had the rather immature Valencian Lluis Martínez-Agudo in the Tita character and tenor Javier Tomé made a good Corrado, definitely better than in Valencia. Finally, Elia Todisco was stylistically inappropriate as Podestá Lisargo, and revealed a rather poor quality voice.

The theatre had an almost full house but the final reception for cast and conductor amounted to little more than courtesy.

José M Irurzun

 

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