Il Trittico [Blu-ray] [Import]

Puccini's trilogy `Il Trittico' has three very contrasting one act operas, each lasting for about one hour and intended to be performed in the course of a single evening. They were composed in the order in which they were written with Il Tabarro (The Cloak) opening the set and Gianni Schicchi being the final part. In between was positioned Suor Angelica.

The most popular of these three has always been the rather dark, but always amusing, comedy Gianni Schicchi and for that reason it is often separated from the other two operas and paired up with some other short opera. One of the most successful pairings of this sort in recent years was the Glyndebourne production coupling Gianni with the fine Miserly Knight by Rachmaninov. This probably remains the most successful Gianni but is not really a relevant comparison in this case because of its `wrong' coupling.

To continue with this production therefore: The first thing to note is that when this trilogy was mounted in 2011 it received what amounted to rave reviews right across the whole of the British press. Without wasting any more time I would like to state categorically that I totally agree with this general assessment. The staging of all three is updated beyond the original intended period but at no time did I find this to be a distraction. Indeed I found that, if anything, the settings added to the impact of each opera and especially to the first two. The orchestral playing under the inspired direction of Pappano was simply outstanding and the pacing of each drama was as near to ideal as possible.

Il Tabarro is a tale of inevitable tragedy and eventual revenge killing. The brooding atmosphere builds steadily and remorselessly in this production with excellent singing and acting by all three of the main cast - Lucio Gallo as Michele, Eva-Maria Westbroek as Giorgetta and Aleksandra Antonenko as Luigi. The supporting cast is equally excellent. This is a fine and very convincing performance.

Suor Angelica is an upsetting tale of extreme punishment where religion is used as an evil tool by a cruel relative to achieve victimisation and eventual disinheritance of a young woman in her `care'. This is a very hard-hitting tale indeed and in a performance such as this reaches almost unbearable levels of pain for the viewer. This is in no small part the result of a quite exceptional performance by Ermonela Jano as Sister Angelico who delivers a performance of such intensity that one fears for her personal peace of mind. Unlike the audience at the Royal Opera, I took a break half way through this to recompose myself ready for the distressing conclusion. This is a remarkable performance but one which I may not wish to watch very often.

The set concludes with a fine performance of Gianni Schicchi, a dark comedy which achieves considerable levels of sustained humour centred around the efforts to change the will of a recently deceased relative and where the snobbish and grasping behaviour of the surviving relatives is suitably rewarded! Lucio Gallo manages to change from the murderous husband of Il Tabarro into the humorous Gianni Schicchi with complete aplomb and is well supported by the rest of the cast. This last opera is very much an ensemble piece and in this performance the ensemble works very well together towards a satisfying conclusion.

The recording offers sharp imaging and involving camera work supported by fine sound in DTS-HD surround and stereo. Antonio Pappano provides introductions to the operas and there is a feature taking the viewer behind the scenes. The extras amount to 20 minutes of playing time. The main attraction must remain the trilogy of performances however and this, as was stated at the start, is a particularly successful set.

It seems likely that this disc should give much satisfaction to the great majority of Puccini followers and as such seems to be well worth a full 5 star rating. I would suggest that this performance and production should therefore warrant serious consideration from any purchasers looking for a fine modern recording of this trilogy.

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After many years Puccini's Il Trittico is being treated to the respect that is its due. The Met revived it recently and San Francisco also mounted it (after many years) and at ROH in a new production it has been memorialized on three DVD's. The only competition that this new release faces is the Met production that featured Renata Scotto in all three operas. It was available only by purchasing the entire box set which i did. I do not know whether each opera is now available individually: they should be.

For Scotto it was a great tour de force. Il Tabarro really requires a spinto (check out YouTube for Varady and Petrella) but the performance is mesmeriziing and her commitment is unquestioned. Angelica, frequently referred to as a step child, is perhpas her greatest performance. An early Angelica was Raisa whose credentials as a dramatic soprano have never been questioned and the end of the opera clearly requires vocal resouces that most lyrics simply don't have. De los Angeles was taxed and Scotto;'s recording takes her to the limit. But watching her performance it becomes difficult to criticize when one realizes that this kind of performance, one that Italy used to provide in abundance has vanished from the vocal scene.

The new performance from ROH has many virtues which clearly outnumber any deficits which in any case should not be a deal breaker. Beginining with Tabarro they have cast the Dutch spinto Eva Maria Westbroeck. Puccini may not be her ideal fach but it is wonderful to hear her lush soprano in this music; all that is lacking was the febrile energy that Scotto brought to her performanace. Antonenko was Muti's Otello in Salzburg two years ago. A young man with what appears to be a huge voice,we can only hope that he doesn't squander his talents. Alas the only Italian in the cast is Luca Gallo, a lyric baritone who after appearing in a VHS of Figaro from Vienna disappeared only to reappear as a verismo baritone. Wishful thinking. By the time Corneil MacNeil appeared in it the vibrations had loosened and he was not the steady vocal rock he had been in the late fifties and sixties. Even so he knew how to make the most of those remaining resources and they were formidable. Gallo knows how it should go, but the voice is at least one size too small. Even so it is a pleasure to hear an Italian in the role.

Angelica has been relocated to a hospital ward for children run by a religious order. This is not as jarring as you might think and the singing is simply so stunning that any objection evaporates. Originally the Greek-German soprano Harateros was to sing Angelica. In her stead is a new voice, the Albanian Ermonela Jaho. It is a stunning debut in a very difficult role. Indeed in spite of my love for Scotto and de los Angeles, Jaho's may be the best performance I have ever heard of this music. Beginning with the aria "Senza mamma" to the end of the opera is one of the most shattering performances I have ever seen. The Principessa is sung by the Scandinavian mezzo soprano Anna Larsson. Usually the role is sung by a heavy (in every sense of the word) mezzo. Larsson is svelte, slender and plays the icy prinicess superbly although it must be admitted miiles away from the Mediterranean.

Gianni Schicchi has been relocated to modern day Florence. Of course this makes no sense when Schicchi has to remmind the relatives about the price they will have to pay if their scheme is reavealed, but even so the performace is so ebullient that it is difficult to not enjoy what has been presented. Again Gallo, our Schicchi must suffer comparison with the great Gobbi and (perhaps even greater) Taddei. Both had vocal gifts that Italy has relinquised; both were great vocal actors and in the case of Taddei a beautiful voice as well. Gallo was chosen, I am sure, because he is Italian and one must be thankful for the gifts one receives. The Russian soprano, Ekaterina Siurina, sings a lovely Lauretta and Rinuccio a youthful Francesco Demuro--Juan Diego Florez sang this role in Vieenna--is more than adequate.

Antonio Pappano surely loves thesse short operas; his conducting is all that one could ask for and the orchestra of the Royal Opera responds in kind.

Although Westbroek is much older and less glamorous than the sexy Nizza in the TDK set, a tired and rather run down barge owner's wife fits the part equally well. All the cast in Il Tabarro were good and Luigi and Frugola specially so. The lighting is a bit too dark in my view so you need to watch this in a room with minimal lighting. The Suor Angelica sets are rather different but I did not find they deviated too much from the spirit of the piece and the colour and costumes were quite impressive. I did not feel Larsson was quite evil enough as the Princess but there were some delightful touches in the nursing sisters. This was the best of the three in my view although Gianni Schicci could have been perfect if the visual image had not been degraded by a greatly over-blown blotchy wallpaper and constantly flickering on and off lighting that made my eyes tired and took the focus off the cast who were universally excellent. The extras are good and are well worth viewing.

Overall I felt this set was a bit better than the earlier TDK release although I enjoyed both. It has a much sharper image and a more attractive feel to the staging. I must however mention the even earlier Gianni Schicci with the incomparable Corbelli, one of the greatest of Italian buffo singers. I think this is the best of all but of course it is not a complete set. There is still room for another go and I love my old CD of del Monaco and Tebaldi in Il Tabarro.