'Il Burbero Di Buon Cuore', composed by Vicente Martín Y Soler, is a very rarely performed opera, having never been performed for over 200 years, and unjustly so. It's a comic delight with beautiful and vivacious music especially in the ensemble and the two Mozart-penned alternate arias "Chi Sa, Chi Sa Qual Sia" and "Vado, ma dove? Oh Dei".
This production couldn't have been a more ideal introduction to an opera that does worthy of being better known. This reviewer has come across some magnificent productions and near-perfect productions of rare operas, mostly early music/baroque from popular and influential composers in their day but somewhat forgotten now, of which this production of 'Il Burbero Di Buon Cuore' stands out as one of the best.
Visually, it's beautiful and elegant, even in a modern dress and setting, as well as rich and colourful in detail without being garish. The production looks good on the DVD, with video directing that accommodates the action as well as the less busy moments, focused, clear and never blurry picture quality and sound quality that allows one to fully enjoy the music and its impact.
Staging is riotously funny, but also has depth. Even in modern dress, there is no sign of distaste, no static moments, no self-consciousness, no signs of irrelevance and no signs of having a director with a big ego. Instead the story is always clear, the comedy sparkles, the pathos affects and essentially the opera always comes first.
Musically, this is where the production especially shines, pretty much note-perfect. The orchestral playing has much style and class, a real sense of understanding music from the early classical era and refinement. The conducting, as every good conductor should do, from Christophe Roussert allows the music to breathe but also allows the drama on stage come alive.
One cannot complain in any way the singing and performances, where there is not a weak link. Particularly good are a vocally resonant and ingeniously funny Carlos Chausson and Veronique Gens whose renditions of "Chi Sa, Chi Sa Qual Sia" and "Vado, ma dove? Oh Dei" are highlights of the performance. Elena De La Merced is charming and never bland as Angelica and sings exquisitely throughout. She and very consummately sung and acted Juan Francisco Gatell make for a handsome romantic couple. Luca Pisaroni is fluently naturalistic and never falls into the trap of being exaggerated, while Saimir Pirgu is very appealing, Josep Miquel Ramón is hilarious and Cecilia Diaz is appropriately wily.
All in all, fantastic performance without any fault. 10/10 Bethany Cox
