Sicilian Whispers
There is no peace for Verdi in Parma.
As a second production of its Verdi Festival the Teatro Regio presented I vespri siciliani on October 10, starring Giacomo Prestia as Procida, Leo Nucci as Monforte, and the lovebirds Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato as Elena and Arrigo.
Armiliato receives a fair amount of boos during the performance. Right before the fifth and last act, the management announces that Armiliato is indisposed, but has agreed to finish the performance. This does not prevent further boos at curtain calls, while, as it always happens, other member of the audience were trying to shush the booers.
In televised interviews right after the performance, both Armiliato and Dessì claim that the fracas had been caused by a very small group of “facinorosi” (bullies) intent in damaging not so much Armiliato as the Verdi festival itself.
A couple of days later Armiliato writes on Facebook that the day after the premiere he has been seen by a leading expert at the hospital of Brescia, and he has been diagnosed with a labyrinthitis.
The Teatro Regio asks tenor Carlos Ventre to be on call for the second performance, but Armiliato insists in going on stage.
Enrico Stinchelli, famous critic, co-host of the RAI radio show La barcaccia, writes an opera letter to Armiliato on the Italian forum Opera Click. In brief, while Stinchelli is sorry to hear about the tenor’s health problems, he adds that in his opinion Arrigo is not a role suitable to Armiliato’s voice to begin with. According to Stinchelli, Armiliato does not have the facility in the upper register to perform this part (and for the record, this production cuts Arrigo’s arietta with its high D at the beginning of the fifth act).
Armiliato replies with his own open letter, disputing Stinchelli’s assessment and comparing the booers to the Serbian hooligan who had forced the Italy vs. Serbia soccer match in Genova to be suspended with their vandalism just a few days before. He also claims that there is a whole tradition of Italian spinto and dramatic tenors tackling the role of Arrigo, and throws himself in the famous age-old diatribe of pitch in the 19th century.
Then Armiliato cancels the third performance. Apparently Carlos Ventre is no longer available, so the management sends on stage a young Korean tenor, Kim Myung Ho, dressed in civilian suit and holding a score.
Who knows what is going to happen in the next two final performances?
I saw the Sunday perforamnce with Kim Myung Ho, and I thought he did a great job. Arrigo is not an easy role, and to sing while still reading from a score in Parma would be terrifying to say the least. I should also mention that Dessi, Nucci and Prestia all contributed to a wonderful performance.
I saw last evening’s performance (20th) and Kim Myung Ho sang the Arrigo – this time without a score, in costume and with most of the staging in tact. Dessi, Nucci and Presita seemed to be guiding him through some of the movements. As Deviafan says it must have been a terrifying experience given that he had three days to achieve a semblance of a performance. That said I hope for his sake he isn’t called on to do this sort of thing too often.
I honestly don’t feel I can say much more as I was a guest of the house as compensation for some problems earlier in the year at a performance of Un Giorno di Regno.
The war between Armiliato and Stinchelli continues. This time La Signora Dessì posted a nasty message on Stinchelli’s FB page:
Daniela Dessì:
Ma possibile che non abbiate altro da fare che perdere il vostro fiato parlando dei Vespri Siciliani di Parma,spettacolo di grande classe con colleghi e direttore straordinari.
Enrico oggi ho ascoltato,come potevi ben immaginare,la tua trasmissione alle 13 e l’ho trovata veramente di cattivo gusto. Mi meraviglio molto dei tuoi modi e della mancanza di rispetto nei miei confronti cosa che non mi sarei mai aspettata.Concludo,e non entrerò mai più nelle vostre sterili disquisizioni,pregandovi di non farmi bersaglio delle tue/vostre polemiche con il Festival parmigiano e chi lo dirige. Grazie Buona notte.
Basically she asks him why he is wasting his breath speaking about Vespri; she found that episode of La Barcaccia of bad taste, claims that he has no respect for her, and asks him not to speak about her anymore
And Stinchelli replies:
Enrico Stinchelli Cara Daniela , mi dispiace che tu abbia trovato “di cattivo gusto” e “sterili disquisizioni” la trasmissione di oggi, se permetti sono io a stupirmi di questo tuo astioso intervento: non potrei mai credere che tu non sappia accettare, da donna intelligente e artista sensibile, delle critiche o opinioni contrarie alle tue. Tu dici che questi “Vespri siciliani” siano una meraviglia, io semplicemente dico di no e mi sembra che le varie registrazioni in circolazione lo dimostrino abbondantemente. In un normale contraddittorio si accettano i plausi e le critiche. Quanto al ‘gusto’…io ho trovato di cattivo gusto l’attacco del tema sulla coda del Bolero con un rallentando da strapaese, per esempio…o parecchie altre cose che non mi va di elencare qui. Parli di ‘mancanza di rispetto’ , bene, dimostrami dove e come ciò sia avvenuto e sarò il primo a scusarmi. si ha un rapporto ‘diretto’ e non ruffiano, Daniela, una critica vera vale più di una lode fasulla!
He replies attacking her performance of the Bolero, citing her pedestrian rallentandos (among other things) and telling her than a heartfelt criticism has mort worth than fake praise.
And I was forgetting that referring to Paolo Isotta, the music critic of Il corriere della Sera, who wrote a generally positive review of the Parma Vespri, Stinchelli mentions that Mr. Isotta was a guest for two months in the Sardinian home of Mr. Meli, the general manager of the Parma Verdi Festival.
Two complimentary reviews – one with Armiliato, one sans :
http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/ottobre/15/Verdi_chiarezza_cantabilita_nei_Vespri_co_9_101015119.shtml
http://www.teatro.org/spettacoli/recensioni/i_vespri_siciliani_17332