© Salzburger Festspiele / Silvia Lelli
This year the Salzburg Whitsun Festival was dedicated to Gioacchino Rossini and his works.
The festival opened with a new production of La Cenerentola. A special opportunity to meet the artistic head of the festival, Cecilia Bartoli, in one of her renowned roles on stage. The audience could feel the joy and energy she put into her appearence on stage and singing. Damiano Michieletto and his stage designer Paolo Fantin created a typical Italian ambiance. Alidoro falls down to earth and happens to land in a rotten down Italian fast food bar, being Don Magnifico's business. His stepchild Cenerentola is mistreated, but keeps the place running ambitiously. Cooking, serving and cleaning - Cecilia Bartoli can implement her gifted talent of acting as well as her fine coloratur soprano.
As of magic hands Alidoro arranges the new stage set for Don Ramiro's palace, a stylish bar with modern young Italian party goers and VIP hunters. There is action on stage, clever ideas but it is never overdone and we can follow the love affair developping. The young Mexican tenor Javier Camarena is a gifted singer and presents a strong, fresh and shining voice with no difficulties, flexible and safe in height and voluminous. Although Cenerentola's sisters are a hillarious couple by their different body design - small and slim Lynette Tapia, tall and big Hillary Summons - they lack of convincing voices.
The Ensemble Matheus under Jean Christophe Spinosi remains undifferentiated and without emotion and Italian spirit supporting the lively direction on stage. The audience is thrilled by Cecilia Bartoli´s finale, sends overwhelming applause to Javier Camarena but shows some retention next to the conductor and orchestra.
the 12 of June, 2014 | Print
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