Reviewed by James
Karas
The Thieving Magpie
(La Gazza Ladra, for sticklers) is a delightful opera that gets a
rousing and captivating production directed by Peter Kazaras at the
Glimmerglass Festival.
Rossini’s 1817 romp
has been assigned a number of tags but I think it is an opera buffa at heart but
more about this later.
Plot main: The lovely
servant Ninetta (Rachele Gilmore) loves her employer’s son Giannetto (tenor Michele
Angelini). Fabrizio, his father, approves; Lucia, his mother does not because
she thinks Ninetta is a thief because of missing silverware. Subplot one:
Ninetta’s father Fernando arrives as an army deserter sentenced to death.
Subplot two: The town mayor has his eye on Ninetta and is prepared to blackmail
her. We have about two and a half hours to enjoy the opera and solve all these
problems.
Rachele Gilmore as Ninetta, Ensemble member
Simon Dyer, Musa Ngqungwana as Gottardo, Calvin Griffin as Fabrizio Vingradito,
Michele Angelini as Giannetto and Leah Hawkins as Lucia in The Glimmerglass
Festival's production of "The Thieving Magpie"
Our main concern is
Ninetta who stands accused of theft, must protect her father and defend herself
from the lecherous Mayor. Get a grip on yourself because she is convicted and
sentenced to death. Soprano Rachele Gilmore with her delicious voice, vivacious
manner and strong character leaves no doubt that she will pull through but she
does come awfully close to losing all.
Angelini as Giannetto
looks and sound like a tenor that came from central casting, as they used to
say. Tall, faithful, ardent, with a martial bearing and high notes that just
fly from his chest, he never leaves us in doubt that Ninetta and their love
will triumph.
Bass-baritone Musa
Ngqungwana sings exceptionally well as the lecherous and corrupt Mayor but let
the latter have Ninetta? We wouldn’t trust him with a plastic magpie let alone
an anthropomorphic or ornithological one.
Leah Hawkins as Lucia, Calvin Griffin as
Fabrizio Vingradito, Michele Angelini as Giannetto and members of the ensemble
in The Glimmerglass Festival's production of "The Thieving Magpie"
Bass-baritone Dale
Travis was disappointing as Ninetta’s father Fernando. He sounded almost hoarse
and off his voice. Soprano Leah Hawkins was an authoritative Lucia and
bass-baritone Calvin Griffin was her nice and obedient husband in good
performances.
You can’t have a
thieving magpie without a magpie and that can be a plastic one in a cage or a
dancer. Kazaras has choreographer Meg Gillentine in an ornate “magpie” costume
greet the patrons as they take their seats in the theatre. She has a large cage
on the stage and she dances in and out of it in a delightful performance.
The opera is set in
and around the spacious courtyard of Fabrizio’s house and outside the jail
cells of the town. Set Designer Myung Hee Chung has her own idea for the large
yard and the town setting. A large wreath (or is it the outline of a cage?) enfolds
the front of the stage with a vista of blue sky in the background. The scene
does change for the jail scene but the simple idea of the wreath remains.
The Thieving Magpie has been described as a melodrama, a rescue opera, a tearjerker, a
tragedy, a comedy and no doubt some other names. It is a classic comedy. The
old try to interfere with the course of true love of the young; a dirty old man
does the same; integrity is questioned but in the end wins. The usual obstacles
of comedy are all there as is the happy ending.
Kazaras does
excellent work with all of those elements. The opera can take well over three
hours to perform. He cuts it down to less than two and a half hours excluding
intermission.
The Glimmerglass
Festival Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Joseph Colaneri maintain a brisk
pace from the drum roll of the overture right up to the happy ending.
A simply delightful
evening at the opera.
_____
The Thieving
Magpie by
Gioachino Rossini (music) and Giovanni Gherardini (libretto) opened on July16
and will be performed eight times until August 25, 2016 at the Alice Busch
Opera Theater, Cooperstown, New York. Tickets and information (607) 547-0700 or
www.glimmerglass.org
No comments:
Post a Comment