GOMES’ LO SCHIAVO

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

thEYCBQD7N

Antônio Carlos Gomes took the novel O Schiavo (The Slave) and Italianized it for an 1899 premiere in the then capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.

Recorded by Dynamic earlier this year and advertised as the world premiere on video, Lo Schiavo (in Italian) is a flawed work by a Brazilian composer who sought to pioneer authentically Brazilian concert and operatic music that dealt with national themes, in this case the oppression and enslavement of natives by the European colonizers.

Noble intentions not always lead to artistically satisfying results, in this case music that is by and large derivatively European and a libretto plagued by dramatic inconsistencies.

The Brazilian-Italian co-production is adequately respectful, blessed by authentic costumes for the Europeans and compromisingly discreet outfits for the natives who in real life would go around with little other than exposed skin and tattoos on their bodies.

Stage director Davide Garrattini Raimondi mercifully refrains from any Regietheater clichés and keeps things straight and clear in spite of a cast plagued by bad actors.

Musically the production of Gomes Lo Schiavo by the Cagliari Lyric Theatre is uneven. Soprano Svetla Vassileva manages a good performance of the tricky role of Itara, especially in the second act, and tenor Massimiliano Pisapia sings on pitch at lower dynamic levels but comes to grief when at full throttle. He does earn a well-deserved hand though after his act two aria Quando nascesti tu. The other cast members hardly rise to the standards of Italian provincial theatres. John Neschling conducts the orchestra, chorus and principals with a firm hand.

** Fair

Rafael de Acha http://www.RafaelMusicNotes.com

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”