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Rossini: La Pietra del paragone

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Rossini: La Pietra del paragone

‘La pietra del paragone’ is seventh in the Rossini oeuvre and one of no fewer than six of his operas that had their first performance in 1812 when the composer was a mere twenty years old. Despite its reputation amongst Rossini enthusiasts and scholars, ‘La pietra del paragone’ has fared poorly in the theatre and on record. The improbable, not to say convoluted plot, involves the affluent Count Asdrubale who wants a wife who will love him for himself not his status or wealth. He is pursued by three widows and constructs a plot to be seen to be bankrupt which enables him to ascertain that it is only Clarice of the three who really loves him. She in turn tests the Count by disguising herself as her own twin brother and threatening to remove Clarice. Needless to say all ends happily

Sonia Prina, Jennifer Holloway, Laura Giordano, Christian Senn, François Lis, José Manuel Zapata, Joan Martín-Royo & Filippo Polinell

Ensemble Matheus & Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Parma, Jean-Christophe Spinosi

Giorgio Barberio Corsetti & Pierrick Sorin (Staging, scenography & video)

“This will not be to everyone's taste… but it is an original, brilliantly executed and fascinating piece of work. …the live creation of video tableaux. The fully costumed cast move around on a bare downstage area, while fixed video camera's superimpose their every move onto magnified images of the model sets projected stage-wide above their heads. The conductor Jean-Christophe Spinonsi shows that even this early (1812) piece has virtuosity and pathos in equal measure. Though his frenetic style sometimes seems to the stop the music flowing, he draws an exciting performance from both his period band and an evenly matched cast.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2008 ****

Gramophone Magazine