Wexford Festival Opera - watch Le Maschere by Pietro Mascagni

We proudly present the first of three live presentations from this year's Wexford Festival Opera - Le maschere by Pietro Mascagni, with a libretto by Luigi Illicia.

Watch above from 8pm on Friday October 18th.

About Le maschere: It's Mascagni’s homage to Rossini and to the Italian opera buffa and commedia dell’arte traditions. It was premiered simultaneously in six Italian opera houses but, apart from Rome, the reception was subdued. While it has often been held that Mascagni was a 'one opera man’ who could never repeat the success of Cavalleria rusticana, this verdict has already been debunked by Wexford’s four previous Mascagni productions, most recently Guglielmo Ratcliff in 2015.

PROLOGUE

The metatheatrical play of this opera, whose title refers to the masks of the commedia dell'arte, is immediately revealed by the opening, in which the performance of an overture in Rossini’s style is interrupted by Giocadio, who presents the comedy that is about to be performed and each character presents himself with his own musical characterization.

ACT ONE

The protagonist of the first scene is Brighella who praises the therapeutic powers of his ointments, while the other characters surround him, getting on with the chaos of daily life. In the meantime Rosaura reads a letter from her beloved Florindo. Colombina (who, for her part, would like to marry Brighella), informs Rosaura of the intentions of Pantalone, Rosaura’s father who has promised her hand to another man, the horrible Capitan Spavento ('Captain Fright’ in English), that, needless to say, Rosaura hates (she calls him a ’people-killer’). Rosaura, Colombina, Florindo and Brighella send Tartaglia to scout ahead. A solemn and ironic march introduces Capitan Spavento, who has decided to have the wedding contract between him and Rosaura signed that same evening. After the comical reaction of indignation by Rosaura, Colombina, Florindo and Brighella, the latter suggests using a powder to dissolve in the drinks of the people present at the time of the signing. Pantalone complains that his daughter is not yet ready and orders Tartaglia, the least suitable man because of his stammer, to entertain the Captain by describing the town. Immediately after, Pantalone, invites Captain Spaventa to come into his house: they both ignore the impending mockery.

ACT TWO

Florindo and Rosaura renew their promises of love. After the two have separated following Colombina's warning that she had noticed the arrival of other people, Arlecchino appears on the scene and offers Colombina two marriage proposals, one of which is intended for the woman who, for her part, is describing her ideal man. Arlecchino believes he can read his portrait in the woman’s words. But Brighella interrupts him and, after kicking him, once again praises the qualities of his powder. Brighella’s powder is added to the barrel of wine with the immediate effect of creating such chaos that ruins the engagement; in the end Arlecchino and the Captain are left alone, from whom Doctor Graziano had inadvertently stolen the suitcase.

ACT THREE

Pantalone, Brighella and Florindo still appear dazed by the chaos that had occurred earlier. Rosaura, in her room, wakes up just to discover the presence of an unkonwn man. Florindo wouldlike to challenge the Capitan to a duel; Colombina, pretending to reciprocate the attentions of Arlecchino,the Captain’s servant, gets the latter to promise that she would persuade the Captain to desist from his marriage plan. The latter does not want to cancel his plan to marry Rosaura but he is a little frightened of Florindo, who declares his willingness to challenge the soldier to a duel. The doctor arrives as a deus ex machina to resolve the intricate affair, having read the documents contained in the Captain’s bag and unmasks the man. Pantalone agrees to the wedding of Rosaura and Florindo on the condition that in nine months a beautiful Pantaloncino is born!

Production Team:

FRANCESCO CILLUFFO Conductor

STEFANO RICCI Director & Designer

STELLARIO DI BLASI Choreographer

DANIELE NALDI Lighting Designer

Cast includes:

LAVINIA BINI Rosaura

BENOIT JOSEPH MEIER Arlecchino Battocchio

IOANA CONSTANTIN PIPELEA Colombina

GILLEN MUNGUIA Brighella

MATTEO MANCINI Il Capitano Spaventa

RORY MUSGRAVE Dottore Graziano

ANDREW MORSTEIN Florindo

PETER McCAMLEY Giocadio

GIORGIO CAODURO Tartaglia

MARIANO OROZCO Pantalone De' Bisognosi

Find out more about this year's Wexford Festival Opera here.

Pics: Patricio Cassinoni