Renato Girolami

This performance of 2014 can be considered as a reference on account of the quality of the vocal material involved and because the daring staging of Austrian Martin Kušej is rich in meaning within the context of the global challenges of today. He proposes a reflection on war, on vengeance and also on the mark of guilt which ends with the joie de vivre and the expansion of passions. In the intimacy of Calatrava, his is a post-Bauhaus picture of a Fascist neatness which then contrasts with the chaos of battles, the abyss of misery and the sexual stampede after triumph or failure. In this context, religion, instead of being a consolation is both an escape and the tomb of humanity; the chapel wherein Leonora hides is made out of huge crosses and in one of them, just for a moment, Don Álvaro seems crucified by his fate.

A passionate count enlists a local barber and jack-of-all-trades to help him woo and wed a quick-witted woman. But it will take all their cunning - as well as some disguises and bribes - to ensure love wins the day. This production of Rossini’s comic masterpiece revives and stylises a historic staging from 1997 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the opera’s premiere. Directed by José Luis Castro, the magnificent scenography by painters Carmen Laffon and Juan Suárez depicting Rossini’s romantic vision of the Andalusian capital in Seville itself.

La Cenerentola est un opéra composé par Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) et créé au Teatro Valle à Rome le 28 janvier 1817. Il s’agit d’un dramma giocoso en deux actes, sur un livret de Jacopo Ferreti qui est une variation autour du conte de Cendrillon. La version présentée cette saison est une création de l’Opéra de Lille. La Cenerentola est ici mise en scène par Jean Bellorini. L’Orchestre de Picardie joue sous la direction d’Antonello Allemandi.