AMICA

Camoine and Amica

AMICA. Composed by Pietro Mascagni. Conductor: Manlio Benzi. Director: Alessio Pizzech. Singers: Anna Malavasi; David Sotgui; Pierluigi Dilengiti; Marcello Rosiello; Francesca De Giorgi. 2008. 

Performed at Mascagni's birthplace, Livorno Italy, this production, while hardly of Met quality, is admirable. Amica is a young woman who has been raised by her uncle, Camoine, who insists that she marry Giorgio, who adores her but whom she doesn't love. Instead she loves his brother, Rinaldo, whom her uncle banished some time before. Amica runs off into the mountains with Rinaldo after he returns, followed by Giorgio, who has no idea who her lover is, just as Rinaldo doesn't know that she was supposed to marry Giorgio. When the two men meet up in the high hills, they are each astonished to learn the truth. Rinaldo realizes that his running off with Amica will utterly destroy his brother, whom he has cared for since childhood, but Amica simply can't accept his decision for the two to part forever, leading to tragedy.

Mascagni responded to this story with music of great emotional power, melodiousness, and symphonic beauty. Some have noted that the music of the climax is so dramatic that it's as if the world had ended in a cataclysm, but this is exactly what has happened in the minds of the three lead characters and Mascagni expresses their torment in striking musical terms. With a clearly limited budget, the production is still effective, and the singers, while not necessarily world-class, deliver generally good vocal and dramatic performances. 

Verdict: Women just can't get a break! Another verismo masterpiece from Mascagni. ***1/2.   

GREAT OLD OPERA -- IL PICCOLO MARAT

IL PICCOLO MARAT by Pietro Mascagni. Presented in concert by Teatro Grattacielo at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, April 13th, 2009.

Teatro Grattacielo is an opera company that not only does not look down at the "unfashionable" composers of verismo and other works [late 19th to early 20th century] but especially champions the work of the great Pietro Mascagni, whose first opera, Cavalleria rusticana, has become an opera house perennial across the globe. Finally people are beginning to realize that Mascagni was far from a"one-hit wonder," but rather composed a great number of striking operatic works, including this one. Il piccolo Marat (Little Marat) takes place during the French revolution where a prince in disguise -- the title character -- hopes to save his imprisoned mother even as he falls in love with Mariella, the niece of the cruel "Ogre" who would just as soon see his mother and many, many others die cruel deaths. With thunderous choruses, both lyrical and modern touches, a gorgeous love duet, and much, much beautiful music, all one can say about the North American premiere of this opera is that it's about time.

Teatro Grattacielo provided us with a first-rate concert performance of this opera, which premiered in Italy in 1921. The orchestra was packed -- this is a much bigger house than Alice Tully Hall, where Teatro G usually has its performances -- and the crowd gave the work and its performers a standing ovation at the end. The singers were wonderful: tenor Richard Crawley, who stepped in at the last minute and was on top of the difficult role throughout; bass Brian Jauhiainen, who also stepped in late, and offered a dramatic interpretation of the miserable Ogre; soprano Paula Delligatti (pictured), whose lovely voice well-served Mariella; and mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Batton, whose fine voice gave life to the prince's mother. Daniel Lee and Joshua Benaim were also notable, as was the Cantori New York and Long Island University Chorus who thundered out Mascagni's powerful and stirring chorale writing -- there's a lot of powerful stuff in this opera, but Mascagni's trademark sensitivity is also much in evidence.

Music Director David Wroe, who conducted, almost literally threw himself into the score, leading the orchestra to bring out the values -- both the intensity and the sweetness -- in every vivid note of this early 20th century masterpiece.

What's next? Dare we hope for Mascagni's Parisina? Whatever, let's hope that Teatro Grattacielo keeps up the great work!

Verdict: Rousing stuff, well-served. ****.

NOTE: For more about Il piccolo Marat and Mascagni [who rates a whole chapter], see my book Opera of the Twentieth Century. I also wrote a piece on Mascagni for BBC Music Magazine some years back. -- William Schoell