The Teatro Regio di Parma performs on different stages: both during the Verdi festival and during the winter season, organizing downsized productions at the small Teatro Verdi in Busseto, thus giving the possibility to this venue to remain alive in spite of its limited facilities (it does not seat more than 300 people).

In order to give more value to the co-operation with Busseto, the production devised for this stage also features singers from the local voice competition ‘Voci Verdiane Città di Busseto’, one of the oldest in Italy. The Teatro Regio will be in charge of the competition starting this year, but singers from the 2016 competition already constituted the cast of the current production of I masnadieri (The Robbers), which had already been among the features of the Verdi Festival last October, in collaboration with Bologna’s ‘Scuola dell’opera del Teatro Comunale’.

The production, directed by Leo Muscato originally premiered at the Teatro Regio in 2013, but was completely reworked for the tiny stage of Teatro Verdi. The simplification of the scenes, by set designer Federica Parolini, produced a more absorbing atmosphere, and the production profited from less movement of sets, and a reduction of extras. Only the skeletons of trees provided the settings for the robbers’ deeds, with red flames appearing from the back as the robbers set on fire and devastate the land. In the interiors, single pieces of furniture (an armchair, a bed) created the setting for the family drama. The contribution of light designer Alessandro Verazzi, which was already prominent in the original staging, became pivotal for the development of the action.

Conductor Simon Krecic conducted with great energy the Orchestra dell’Opera Italiana, providing the necessary support for the singers and producing a vividly colored sound, in spite of the downsized orchestra due to the limited size of the pit.

In the vocal cast, soprano Adriana Iozzia was a temperamental Amelia, showing a versatile and ringing voice, which make it suitable for Verdi’s early operas. Somewhat less compelling was tenor Rosolino Claudio Cardile in the role of Carlo, the main protagonist of the opera, who sang correctly, but produced a more limited volume of voice. As his brother Francesco, baritone Cüneyt Ünsal was more compelling, showing good theatrical skills in the role of the villain. Bass Victor Sporyshev was an authoritative Massimiliano, Carlo and Francesco’s unhappy father.

The chorus, which plays an important role as in many Verdi’s operas, sang as a single man, perfectly tuned under the guide of chorus master Martino Faggiani.

The audience in Busseto may be limited in number, but certainly not in participation, and loud applause saluted all cast members, as well as the chorus and the orchestra at the end of the performance.