Kulturkompasset | critics of culture events

MEFISTOFELE in Pisa


MEFISTOFELE

by Arrigo Boito

Pisa, Italy at Teatro Verdi, 2016 March 18th.

Review by Fabio Bardelli, Fotos Massimo d´Amato and Teatro Verdi.

PISA/ITALY: Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito has in Italy a curious destiny: a popular, indeed very popular opera until the Fifties, it became afterwards increasingly uncommon in the programs of the theaters to the point of becoming a curiosity, if not an almost sophisticated “cultural operation”. In fact Verismo is out of fashion in Italy being almost a rarity to see on stage veristic repertoire operas.

Mefistofele. Mr. Prestia as Mefistofele - foto Teatro di Pisa

Mefistofele. Mr
. Prestia as Mefistofele
– foto Teatro di Pisa

This ambitious production of Mefistofele is a great merit for Teatro Verdi di Pisa, the opera is indubitably of great importance to understand the historical period in which was written and to do justice to its mistreated author.

Arrigo Boito was in fact a complex personality, fine man of letters, writer, poet, librettist, composer and man of culture of the period between the 19th and the 20th century. A province House as Teatro Verdi in Pisa has now the courage to stage Mefistofele, an opera of great complexity considered almost prohibitive also for more important Houses, and this must be surely pointed out.

Mefistofele. Prestia and ensemble. Foto Massimo d´Amato

Mefistofele. Prestia and ensemble. Foto Massimo d´Amato

With the time are inevitable musical taste’s changes, so nowadays this work appears to the audience characterized by a patchwork of scenic situations, arias, scenes, choruses that can also seem to be out in the common taste and whose recovery seems probably to have a sense only in a critical contest.

Moreover the libretto written by Boito adapting Faust by Goethe appears at certain points, especially for its language, rather embarrassing. Anyhow this opera, despite its almost wagnerian length, seems still to hold the stage test.

Mefistofele, Palombi, Sepe

Mefistofele, Palombi, Sepe

Mefistofele is undoubtedly a very unequal work alternating very successful moments such as the Prologue in the Sky, splendid choruses, the Prison Scene, or the beautiful air of Elena in Classic Sabba scene (Notte cupa, truce), to others very ordinary and that border on bad taste not to say unintentional humor. But this is Mefistofele, with its clamorous better and worse moments, and it must be accepted just as it is.

Mefistofele had its contested premiere in Milano in 1868 and was extensively remodeled by the author, till to find its definitive version in Bologna in 1875, apart some further little changes.

Mefistofele, Sepe

Mefistofele, Sepe

The staging of Mefistofele needs many things. First a great bass as main character, then a good tenor and two, or one, good sopranos, in fact in some productions the roles of Margherita and Elena are assigned to the same artist. Mostly this opera needs a conductor able to hold firmly under control the huge amount of artists, events, choirs, scenes and concertati
. Finally a stage director able to make the plot somehow credible and suitable for performance.

Main character of this Mefistofele in Pisa was bass Giacomo Prestia at his debut in this very difficult role. He proves to be already master of the part, showing incisive mellifluous contemptuous accents, good mastering on stage even if his acting could be improved in following productions. Perhaps he is a bit monotonous in singing, as well as few insinuating and a little too much good-natured as a devil. Overall a good debut.

Mefistofele, Prestia-Palombi

Mefistofele, Prestai, Palombi

Tenor Antonello Palombi seems almost to waste his not despicable voice. Unfortunately he is always stentorian and sings too often forte and with few (or almost no) subtleties, on the contrary his vocal role needs much more than a stentorian singing, so his Faust is more cried out that well sung, even in growing from the beginning to the last act and on the whole rather effective.

Soprano Elisabetta Sepe was a good Margherita, showing her beautiful voice rich in nuances colors and emotions. She was truly impressive in the long Prison Scene entrusted by Boito to her character.

Elizabeth Farris in the short but insidious part of Elena got away more than decently, showing an interesting voice and beautiful singing intentions.
The interpeters of the smaller parties were on an average level.

We must admit that young director Francesco Pasqualetti shows to know the score and his numerous pitfalls as the back of his hands
. Overall he keeps well the situation and seems to emphasize the symphonic character of the score
. He follows properly the singers, even if from the position where I was (a seat in medium stalls) often gives the impression to overwealm the voices, but this effect could be due to the theater’s acoustics. His concertation has been growing, from the frankly excessive loudness of the Prologue to the unfolding of subsequent acts.

The Orchestra della Toscana and the three Choirs were good.

The staging by director Enrico Stinchelli is resolved in a rather normal and predictable way
. The director shows to “believe” much (almost too much) to the plot, and takes it even too much seriously. He uses and abuses of smokes and projections on tulle cloths, theatrical expedients that act after act look monotonous and repetitive. He cares enough the singers’ acting and the ensembles, and overall illustrates the story in a linear way without great slips. The costumes were normal, scenes on an average level, normal the rare choreographic inserts. 

The Teatro Verdi in Pisa was filled out and the audience was very warm with all apart some isolate dissent, a real triumph was reserved to Giacomo Prestia.

Production and cast:

Mefistofele, Giacomo Prestia
Faust, Antonello Palombi
Margherita, Valeria Sepe
Elena, Elisabetta Farris
Marta, Sandra Buongrazio
Nereo / Wagner, Sergio Dos Santos
Pantalis, Moon Jin Kim

Conductor, Francesco Pasqualetti
Stage directorEnrico Stinchelli
Scenes, Biagio Fersini and Enrico Stinchelli

Videomaker, Mad About Video (MAV) di Malta
Light designing, Michele Della Mea

Orchestra della Toscana

CLT Coro Lirico Toscano
Maestro del Coro, Marco Bargagna
Coro dell’Università di Pisa e Laboratorio Lirico San Nicola
Maestro del Coro, Stefano Barandoni

Pueri Cantores di San Nicola e Santa Lucia
Maestro del Coro, Emma Zanesi

by Fabio Bardelli

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