Search - Antonio Marani, Maurizio Leoni, Gioachino Rossini :: Rossini: Il Signor Bruschino

A Masterpiece of Comic Verve and Invention Done to a T

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 08/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This one act 'farse giocosa' by Rossini was a failure at its première, which is hard to understand. Perhaps it had to do with the new tricks up Rossini's sleeve (for instance, the famous instance, in the overture, of having the second violins rhythmically tap on their music stands with their bows) or maybe it had to do with a new kind of plot that foreshadowed the unrelenting irony we moderns take for granted in Rossini's comic operas. Whatever the cause, 'Il Signor Bruschino,' did not hold the stage and, except for its ever-popular overture in the concert hall, it has rarely been staged. There is an earlier recording from 1988 that I've not heard. But with the excellence of the present recording I suspect I won't go looking for it. This one is a corker.



The plot won't keep us long. It involves an arranged marriage for the ward, Sofia, of an old man, Gaudenzio. There are mistaken identities, an attempt at gaining the old man's blessing for a marriage to the young man whom Sofia actually loves, and a happy ending, all in one act that lasts about 80 minutes. More important, in addition to the delightful overture, there is a parade of tuneful arias and ensembles that sparkle and delight from beginning to end.



The cast here sound to be young Italian singers well versed in the Rossini style, accompanied by I Virtuosi Italiani under Claudio Desderi, a conductor whose début in 1969 at the Edinburgh Festival was in this very opera, and who has specialized in the operas of Rossini and Mozart. Special mention must be made of Elena Rossi (Sofia) whose aria with cor anglais obbligato, 'Ah donate il caro sposo,' is meltingly sung, the comic duet ('Io donari vi darò') between Florville (tenor Alessandro Codeluppi) and the inn-keeper Filiberto (baritone Antonio Marani), the hilarious terzetto of Bruschino (basso Dario Giorgelè), the old man Gaudenzio (baritone Maurizio Leoni), and Florville that builds to one of those patented Rossini crescendos. And one mustn't forget Bruschino's aria 'Ho la testa o è andata via?' done with both humor and pathos by Giorgelè as Bruschino. And then there's the good-humored finale with all coming right in the end; it features all the solo singers in a jolly dénouement.



The booklet features a complete libretto in Italian, but with no English translation. There is, however, a detailed synopsis with cue points.



This one's a winner and gets my heartiest recommendation.



Scott Morrison"