With a dynamic and meticulous musical direction by Ivor Bolton at the head of the Seville Baroque Orchestra, a well-planned stage direction by Marianne Clément and a very suitable cast, in which the
soprano Sabina Puértolas stands out
, this remarkable piece of pure baroque appears. , suppressed at the beginning of the pandemic.
Francesco Corselli (Piacenza, 1705- Madrid, 1778) was master of the Royal Chapel of Madrid, where he lived for 30 years.
According to the Teatro Real press release, this opera
premiered in 1774 to celebrate the wedding of the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela, daughter of Felipe V, with the Dauphin of France, son of Louis XV
.
The work responds to the basic scheme of baroque opera;
an
argument that used to be nourished by historical or mythological themes
where the human drama was supported by characters where the situation was more important than the character;
what really mattered was to guarantee a structure where the recitatives direct the action that the arias are in charge of continuously and relentlessly interrupting to manifest themselves on any topic;
not only the troubles of the lover about the mistake that torments him, but about the beauties of a landscape or the dangers of a boat forced to cross a rough sea.
Of little interest is the suffering of Achilles forced to pass himself off, dressed in skirts, as Pipa, as well as the demands of the king who wants to marry his girlfriend to another, or the warlike determination of a bellicose Ulysses.
Arias are important, since other types of combinations, such as duets, triplets or choir scenes, are scarce
.
And in such a wide variety, the result is varied and, inevitably, irregular.
The setting presents an island of Sciros reminiscent of the cork pieces of a Christmas nativity scene
, where the figures move.
The stage direction offers the singers something to do while they reel off their long arias, and a young lady in period dress, representing the Infanta who was about to get married, swarms among the large corks, half curious and half bored more by what she sees than so you hear
But what is essential is that
the musicians give themselves up with conviction, encouraged by the gesticulating enthusiasm of the conductor
, whose sensitivity to this repertoire demonstrates once again.
The cast responds with identical skill, forcing the viewer to participate, if not in the heroic-sentimental troubles of the group of ghosts, in what matters, the music of Francesco Corselli, recovered thanks to the success of our Teatro Real, obtaining a well-deserved success.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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