Tag Archives: rota

Il cappello di paglia di Firenze

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Straw-Hat-Square-Asset-image-only-400x400Il cappello di paglia di Firenze is a farce by Nino Rota, probably better known as a composer of film music particularly associated with Fellini.  It’s playing right now at UoT Opera in a production directed by Jennifer Tarver.  It’s an ambitious show.  There’s a clever two level set, designed by Michelle Tracey,; indoors on an upper level and outdoors at stage level, and clearly a lot of thought and work has gone into both sets and costumes.  The direction and choreography (Anna Theodosakis) is involved and makes use of the full space of the MacMillan Theatre with comings and goings all over the place energetically executed by quite a large cast. Continue reading →

Rota double bill

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Nino Rota was a composer and academic perhaps best known for his film music. He wrote the scores for all of Fellini’s films and for the first two Godfather movies. He also wrote several operas; most of them comic. Two of his one actors were performed and recorded at the 2017 Reate Festival.

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Rosmonda d’Inghilterra

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One thing the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo is noted for is unarthing Donizetti rarities.  The 2016 edition was Rosmonda d’Inghilterra; a dramatically rather slight piece based on the story of Henry II’s mistress, generally known as “The Fair Rosamund”.  In the opera version Rosmonda is locked up in a tower by her lover Edegardo who has promised to marry her except he’s really Henry II (Enrico) and Leonora (Eleanor of Aquitaine) is going to have something to say about that. Complicating matters; Enrico’s page Arturo is in love with Rosmonda and her dad, Clifford, is the king’s principal counsellor and not at all happy about his daughter carrying on with a married man.   Clifford’s plan to save the family’s honour is to have Arturo take Rosmonda off to Aquitaine and marry her.  Rosmonda’s is to retire to a convent (as, apparently, the historical Rosamund did) . Enrico’s is to divorce Leonora (given Enrico’s problems with the church this seems highly implausible but, hey, bel canto) and make Rosmonda his queen.  Leonora isn’t having any of this and shows up at the tower and kills Rosmonda.  Finito.  Along the way there’s lots of very workmanlike Donizetti music which sounds pretty much like most Donizetti operas.

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