Teatro Verdi di Padova 2018 Review: La Cenerentola

By Alan Neilson

Padua is not exactly one of Italy’s opera hotspots.

It hosts at most three productions per year, two at its main theatre, “Teatro Verdi,” during October and December, and one outdoors in the courtyard of the Castello Carrarese during August. The choice of works tends to be conservative, and the run for each opera never amounts to more than a couple of nights. Nevertheless, in general the quality of the opera on offer tends to be high, and this season’s performance of “La Cenerentola” did not disappoint.

Simplicity Rules The Day

“La Cenerentola” is an obvious choice for the festive season, and providing the director does not attempt a post-modernist deconstruction or some other bizarre interpretation, it is almost guaranteed to provide an enjoyable evening’s entertainment, suitable for adults and children alike.

However, the program notes, written by the director, Paolo Giani, did not bode well. His references to conceptualization, to the realization of serial behavior formed in childhood, of having the singers engage with their characters as children and so on, made his ideas for the production sound rather cerebral. All of which gave the impression that this was not going to be an easy ride for the children in the audience.

Yet, the words belied the simplicity which defined the production, and the ease with which the audience was able to engage with the work on its numerous levels. On a purely visual level this was a splendidly constructed presentation, full of colorful costumes, larger-than-life props (literally), clearly drawn characters, acting to type, with a large helping of all-round, good fun.

From the viewpoint of a fairy tale as an educational tool it did not shirk from exposing the darker side of the drama, showing in brutal terms Don Magnifico’s cruelty towards his ward Angelina. Intellectually, although not particularly taxing, it did underpin the work with a deeper meaning, and was convincing in this respect.

Children’s Play

Giani’s starting point for the production was the nature and purpose of children’ play: this is after all a tale for children, and it is normal for children to act out these stories as part of their playtime activities, so the cast was required to act out the drama as if they were children. It was an excellent idea, as the behavior of the characters immediately becomes believable, because in fairy tales the protagonists actually behave with a childlike simplicity; there is little subtlety, everything is black and white, good is very good and bad is very bad.

Moreover, he intertwined this with the normal squabbling of children, and their occasional bad behavior, in which they taunt and challenge adults. Towards the end of the work, however, the children grow up, as they eventually must, and are replaced by a new set of children who start to play out the fairy tale once again. So it is that life repeats itself in a never ending story – not that it was necessary to know this to enjoy the show.

Giani also undertook responsibility for the scenography, costume and lighting designs, and was equally successful in all the roles. The props were supersized, emphasizing the impression that the cast were supposed to be children; there were huge chairs on which the children perched, huge tables over which they could just about see, and of course, a huge broom for Angelina. Moreover, they were designed to give the impression they were not real, but supersized props for their play. Scene changes were slickly managed through the use of a rotating stage. Costumes were as expected, but exaggerated for certain characters to enhance the comedic effect. The mise-en-scene were, therefore, marvelously over the top, very colorful and created a great sense of vibrancy and fun.

The dark underbelly of the work was also successfully incorporated into the production. Don Magnifico’s heartless and abusive treatment of Angelina was given its proper weight, and as is typical with children, violence also played a part. In Act one, Don Magnifico is asked about his third daughter to which he responds coldly, that she is dead, with Angelina standing next to him. Rossini introduces a significant silence at this point, and Giani hammers it home with a sudden change in the lighting, backed up by effective choreography. There is certainly no attempt to gloss over its full meaning, and in the process captures the right balance between dark and light comedy.

Strong Staging & Strong Singing

The successful staging was matched by a very good performance on the musical side. Angelina was essayed by Annalisa Stroppa whose acting, although perhaps a little too conservative, was more than compensated for by a wonderfully nuanced and beautifully sung vocal presentation.

Stroppa’s voice has wonderful purity, which allied to her rich colorful pallet and excellent technique, produces singing of real beauty. Her final aria, “Non più mesta,” which brought the opera to a close, was a fitting conclusion to the evening; Stroppa moved with ease up and down the scale, span out lines of real beauty and crafted splendidly ornate coloraturas.

Marco Filippo Romano is a natural stage animal, who clearly enjoys his time in front of an audience, and can be guaranteed to put in an engaging and convincing performance. In the role of Angelina’s stepfather, Don Magnifico, he was simply superb, capturing perfectly the heartless and vicious disregard he has for his stepdaughter. He also explored the character’s self-serving ambitions, which when overlaid with the childlike portrayal of the character, became marvelously comic.

Romano’s vocal strength and agility underpinned a compelling vocal presentation. His aria “Sia qualunque delle figlie” displayed his wonderful skills at characterization, with an array of vocal variations, playing out an imaginary conversation with a female petitioner in his equally imaginary new position in the Prince’s retinue, and showed off his wonderful vocal flexibility. His ability to deliver lively and emotionally apt recitatives was also impressive.

Xabier Anduaga’s sweet tenor was perfectly suited to the role of Don Ramiro, which he sang in fine style. He gave a nicely balanced performance, singing with freshness and clarity. Swearing to abandon his disguise and to find Angelina, he sings the aria, “Si, ritrovala io guiro.” Founded upon the beauty and strength of his voice, alongside his clear articulation, Anduaga produced an engaging rendition; his ability to firmly hold the vocal line as he climbed the scale was particularly impressive.

Alessio Arduini, as Dandini, gave a strong and assured performance. Initially masquerading as Don Ramiro, Arduini cleverly portrayed the Prince as a child would have done, having been given the most prestigious role in a play; full of life, proud and fully engaged, whilst really enjoying himself. After reverting to the role of his valet, he became more subdued, maybe even a little sulky at having lost his preferred role. He possesses a bass with a pleasing timbre, and put in a well-measured singing performance, and delivered the recitatives with aplomb.

Soprano Irina Ioana Baiant and mezzo-soprano Alice Marini, as Angelina’s two half-sisters Clorinda and Tisbe, gave splendid performances. Always acting in tandem, and dressed in marvelously over-the-top costumes, they bullied and complained, pouted and postured, and had fantastically exaggerated tantrums, which brilliantly captured the spirit of the production.

Gabriele Sagona gave a solid performance in the role of the philosopher, Alidoro. He has a strong, warm, firm bass, which he used effectively to characterize the role.

The Coro Lirico Veneto under the direction of Stefano Lovato was in excellent voice, singing with vigor and enthusiasm. They acted out their roles as servants, playmates and schoolchildren with a sprightly and lighthearted air, adding to the all-round general good humor.

The Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, under the baton of Antonello Allemandi, gave an attentive and controlled performance, in which the score’s textures were carefully revealed, the crescendos thrillingly built, and the rhythmic energy sensitively managed. A pleasing balance between the orchestral sections and between the stage and the pit was well-ordered.

Overall, this was a well-conceived, attractively staged and well-sung production of “La Cenerentola,” one that was able to appeal on so many levels, and was suitable for both adults and children. As the final notes died away, confetti cascaded down from the ceiling onto the stage, orchestra and the audience, which added a nice festive touch to the evening, especially given that its second performance was on New Year’s Eve.

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