Sweden Rossini, La Gazzetta: Soloists of Läckö Slottsopera, Läckö Chamber Orchestra / Simon Kim Phipps (conductor). Läckö Castle courtyard, 20.7.2024. (NS)
Production:
Director – Lars Bethke
Designer – Lehna Edwall
Makeup and Wig design – Therésia Frisk
Lighting design – Christian Dahlqvist
Cast:
Pomponio – Martin Hatlo
Lisetta – Minna Tägil
Filippo – Richard Hamrin
Doralice – Josefine Andersson
Anselmo – Lars Arvidson
Alberto – Theodor Uggla
La Rose – Ulrika Skarby
Traversen – Nils Gustén
Hotel staff (chorus) – Joakim Bäckmark, Josef Gottlander, John Haque, Petter Stenebo, Mårten Wåhlström
Bar pianist (recitatives) – Mikael Kjellgren
The incredibly productive Rossini wrote La Gazzetta for Naples in between the masterpieces Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola, but unlike these operatic evergreens La Gazzetta was long lost from the repertory before a revival of interest at the beginning of this millennium. Läckö Slottsopera continue their tradition of innovative programming by presenting the Swedish premiere of La Gazzetta. There is a lot of lovely music to be found here – some borrowed by Rossini from his earlier works (particularly Il turco in Italia and Il barbiere di Siviglia) but also some music more familiar to today’s audiences from La Cenerentola. Rossini lifted the overture, and the first finale in Act I of La Gazzetta (‘Mi par d’esser con la testa’) became the start of the finale of Act I of La Cenerentola.
Director Lars Bethke places the action in a parallel present where there is no TV and smartphones don’t exist; he argues that Pomponio trying to marry off his daughter through a newspaper advertisement is not very far removed from today’s consumerist and superficial dating apps and reality TV shows. The characters are dressed like certain real or fictional figures in popular culture who share some of their character traits, and they make brilliant comic use of this idea. Catarina Gnosspelius’s Swedish translation is fresh and funny and a great asset to the production.
The plot is somewhat crowded, with not one but two couples trying to find each other against the opposition of their respective fathers. Young man-about-town Alberto (Theodor Uggla) easily falls in love at first sight, providing a rich vein of comedy rather like P.G. Wodehouse’s delightful character Bingo Little. Rossini gave the role some gorgeous arias and Uggla’s lovely lyrical tenor shines both in heartfelt romanticism and when his heart is broken. His dynamic and expressive range was impressive. His love interest Doralice (Josefine Andersson) is a more melancholic character in nice contrast to Alberto’s puppyish enthusiasm. Andersson’s expressive mezzo sounds lovely in her arias and has a richness that sits well in ensembles as well.
Nils Gustén deploys a rich and polished bass as Traversen and has a wonderful stage presence. His friend and fellow devotee of the hotel bar La Rose (Ulrika Starby) has a delightfully smoky mezzo and relishes her role as agony aunt as well as her involvement in the schemes of the couples to trick their fathers. Lars Arvidson (a superb Falstaff last time he performed at Läckö) is brilliantly in character as Doralice’s ageing rocker father Anselmo, though the role is sadly fairly limited.
Pomponio (Martin Hatlo) is given an entrance as pompous as his name, and Hatlo’s baritone delivers both in volume and in expression. He captures nouveau-riche Pomponio’s character perfectly, both in his arrogance and in his craving for popularity. He is particularly compelling in his confrontations with his daughter Lisetta, which produced musical and scenic fireworks.
Lisetta (Minna Tägil) is a firecracker and Tägil throws herself into the character with gusto, believably acting through her character’s emotional turbulence. Tägil shines in Lisetta’s challenging coloratura passages, with an attractive head voice which showed almost no strain. She should have a bright future with other Rossini soprano roles.
Filippo (Richard Hamrin), Lisetta’s lover, shows delight in coming up with Figaro-style schemes to defeat Pomponio’s plans. His acting was spot on and his attractive baritone was a solid part of many ensemble scenes. A particular gem was the crazy scene where he and Alberto fake an argument over who will be challenging Pomponio to a duel in order to confuse and intimidate Pomponio. But Filippo is not given much opportunity to shine in solo arias so Hamrin was somewhat overshadowed by the other main soloists who are given more solo music.
Simon Kim Phipps and the Läckö Chamber Orchestra produced a lovely airy sound, both in the delightful overture and throughout the performance. Rossini’s music sparkled in this small orchestra arrangement and in the lovely acoustics of the Läckö Castle courtyard. La Gazzetta is certainly not perfect – the plot in Act II does not match the quality of the plotting of the first act – but with this delightful production and terrific cast it makes for a very enjoyable summer’s evening.
Niklas Smith
Playing until 3 August. Tickets and more information on the Läckö Castle website click here.