Reviewed by James Karas
Every year, the Aix-en-Provence Festival produces a new opera to promote the work of a new composer and as an article of faith in the 400-year art form that sometimes feels like and is in fact criticized as something that is stuck in a limited, old repertoire. There may be some truth in that but major opera houses do try to produce new works.
This year the Festival premiered Accabadora, a one-act opera by Francesco Filidei to a libretto by Manuelle Mureddu based on Michaela Murgia’s wonderful 2009 novel with the same title. The librettist encapsulates the plot in twelve scenes for the one-hour and twenty-minute opera.
The opera represents life in a presumably fictitious village in Sardinia in the 1950’s. There are two significant traditions that are combined for the plot of the opera. The first is the fill’e d’anima or soul-child and refers to a person (Maria in the opera) who is conceived twice from the poverty of one woman and the sterility of another. Maria Listru is the daughter of a poor woman who already has 3 daughters. When Maria is six her mother gives her to Bonaria Urrai, the village seamstress, who has no children of her own.
Bonaria Urrai does a lot more than sew dresses. She is an accabadora, a woman who is respected and feared in the village. She can best be described, if at all, as an angel of mercy. People in pain who are reaching the end of life, have Bonaria bring death quickly using a pillow. More politely, we may say that she euthanizes them.
The relationship between Maria and Bonaria is a gripping part of the plot with Maria knowing almost nothing of what her step-mother is doing and leading to a fascinating and mysterious conclusion that I will not disclose.
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Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2026 © Jean-Louis Fernandez
There is a dramatic story of a puppy enclosed in a wall by a neighbor who is stealing a one-meter strip along the border of a vineyard. Maria befriends the brothers Andria and Nicola. The latter tries to avenge the theft of their land and a bullet hits his leg. His condition worsens and he asks for Bonaria’s help. Maria becomes emotionally involved with one of the brothers.
There are happy moments in life in the village. I am being deliberately skimpy in giving details because much of the joy of the plot is its mystery.
The most mysterious character in the story is Bonaria Urrai. The role is sung by contralto Noah Frenkel in a stunning performance. Dressed in ominous black, she struts around the stage, looks down and we are not sure what she is up to. She treats Maria well without revealing what she does when she goes out at night. Frenkel delivers an amazing portrayal of a mysterious person right to the end.
The attractive Maria is sung by the young French soprano Rachel Masclet. She is at the core of the opera. As a soul-child she maintains a relationship with both of her “mothers” but when she finds out about Nicola, she leaves Sardinia and works in another city. A wonderful performance by an up-and-coming singer. Does Maria find happiness?
Nicola is sung by Italian baritone Lodovico Filippo Ravizza who also sings in the chorus and British tenor Hugo Brady who plays Andria and he too joins the chorus. The following singers are part of the chorus in addition to handling other roles: Soprano Victoire Bunel: Maestra Luciana, Giannina, Bastiu, and A Voice. Bass Francesco Leone: Santino Littorra, Antonio Vargiu and Dottor Mastinu. This is a one-act opera with a large cast and the need to assign multiple roles is obvious and they do a fine job.
Accabadora takes place in several locations and set designers Valentina Carrasco and Mariangela Mazzeo show imaginative and economic work. The jeu de Paume theatre has a small stage but the designers give us some idea of where we are. The most imaginative touch is the design of the vineyard where rows of rotating vines are shown beautifully. Carrasco also directs the production and she handles the mysterious and dramatic with the lighter side of the opere superbly.
The music, not always easy to absorb on a first hearing, varies from traditional to staccato to dissonant. It is played by the Orchestra of the Lyon Opera conducted by Lucie Leguay.
Accabadora is steeped in the life, the traditions, the mythology and psyche of a Sardinian village that may be strange to most of us. Will we get another chance to see a production?
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Accabadora by Francesco Filidei and Manuelle Mureddu opened on July 4, 2026 and was performed five times on various dates at the Théâtre du jeu de Paume, 17 - 21 rue de l'Opéra. Aix-en-Provence, France. www.festival-aix.com
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