[ Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Marco Pellegrini
Date: 15 Jan 2007
Time: 11:45:34 -0500
Remote Name: 151.37.185.55
Last night at least we have the première of Il Crociato at La Fenice. We waited for it since 2000. It was performed the original version written by Meyerbeer for La Fenice. It lasted four hours with twenty minutes of intermission and it coincided with the Opera Rara recording (without appendices, of course). The only cut I had noticed is Osmino brief recitativo secco at the beginning of Act II, before Felicia Aria. I like expecially Patrizia Ciofi (Palmide - our Isabelle in Martina Franca 2000) and Laura Polverelli (Felicia). Adriano was not Bruce Ford, but Fernando Portari. The original version has not his great Aria in First Act and have a less powerfull version of "Suona funerea" in Second Act, but all in all it was remarkable. Marco Vingo was a good Aladino. I liked the conductor too. The producer was Pier Luigi Pizzi, to my taste, probably the best in Italy today. Unfortunately the radio commentators knew nothing about Mayerbeer (with A, not e). When they asked to Pizzi why put a boy (Mirva, the little son of Palmide and Armando), Pizzi answered that simply he is in the libretto!. More to come...