After several weeks of financial crisis, administrative receivership, changes in programme and general drama, the May Festival at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opened with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in a 2017 production by Giorgio Ferrara (revived by Stefania Grazioli) from the Festival dei due mondi in Spoleto, instead of the expected new setting by David Pountney.
Ferrara sets the action in a monumental cemetery – likely the one in Genova – and the sets by Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo give a claustrophobic feeling, with the outdoors enclosed by high walls, adorned by tombs and neoclassical architectonic elements. The characters themselves are portrayed as statues sitting by the tombs at the beginning, when an external character (perhaps Søren Kierkegaard) gives them life by unveiling them. Excerpts from Kierkegaard’s famous commentary on Mozart’s Don Giovanni are projected on a screen during the overture, almost as a listening guide, a questionable, didactic idea. Overall, the production is old-fashioned and presents several inconsistencies, but it is quite unobtrusive.
The orchestra of the Maggio was in the venerable hands of Maestro Zubin Mehta, who choose dilated tempi on several occasions and, especially in Act 1, didn’t always seem to find the necessary stringency to support the dramatic action. The players seemed to often rely on each other, and the stage didn’t get much support in terms of attacks. Nevertheless, the orchestral performance was precise and the sound was beautiful, the soloists’ interventions detailed and heartfelt (special mention to the first cello during “Batti, batti”). The finale was exciting and intense as it should be.
After enjoying Luca Micheletti’s singing in some secondary parts at La Scala (in Vespri and Bohème), I was looking forward to his interpretation of a full-sized character such as Don Giovanni. I was not disappointed. Micheletti dominated the scene with great stage presence, the right amount of histrionics and a beautiful, multi-coloured baritone. He threw himself in “Fin ch’han dal vino” with fearless passion, while his serenade was a delight of mezza voce and legato. Markus Werba gave his debut as Leporello in this run; his voice seemed too high for the part, too weak in the lower register, although the higher register was solid. He resorted to talking on too many occasions.
As Donna Anna, Jessica Pratt gave an impressive performance based on crystal clear, brilliant high notes and solid coloratura. Her messa di voce in “Or sai chi l’onore” was monumental, but she gave her best in “Non mi dir,” with beautiful, heart-melting pianissimi. She did seem a bit tired in a (very) few spots, but nothing to detract from a great portrayal of the grieving noblewoman. Donna Elvira was Anastasia Bartoli, whose dramatic soprano presented some hard edges on the high notes, but had great projection and a thick, rich texture. I had the feeling she is still missing some technical foundations: her breathing technique was not perfect – she seemed to run out of breath too often – and some vowels (typically the Italian “E”) spread too much on the side, so that the sound ended up a bit uncovered. But the voice has great potentiality, her “Mi tradì” was remarkable. She managed to control her big instrument in the rage scenes, and to convey the soft-heartedness of Elvira towards Don Giovanni, with the right amount of pathos.
Ruzil Gatin (Don Ottavio) was a pleasant surprise. His high tenor often had an acidic quality in the higher register, but his technical ability was always spectacular, with remarkable projection. He sang “Dalla sua pace” with a beautiful legato, supported by uncommonly long breaths. He approached “Il mio tesoro” with no fear and an admirable warrior attitude; his coloratura was on point, his mezza voce beautiful and, once again, his breath endless. He managed to make an impression, even in his horrible baby-blue costume, with matching eye shadow.
The peasant couple Zerlina and Masetto found in Benedetta Torre and Eduardo Martínez Flores two worthy interpreters: Torre convinced with her well set, brilliant soprano, and Martínez Flores managed Masetto’s arias with ease and commitment.
Il commendatore was Adriano Gramigni, who immediately convinced in the first scene, with a well-projected, smooth bass. I was really looking forward to his entrance in the finale, but, alas, this was completely ruined by the short-sighted, unbelievable choice of having him sing off-stage, amplified in the theatre, with an ominous echo, as in a cheap horror B-movie. This not only wrecked the finale of Don Giovanni, one of the most perfect pieces of music ever written, but it also deprived us from hearing what Gramigni could do in the role.
