by usia review
Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims Returns in Triumph at the CCB
In 1825, Gioachino Rossini inaugurated his French operatic period with Il Viaggio a Reims—also known as Albergo del Giglio d’Oro—a one-act dramma giocoso composed for the coronation of King Charles X of France. The work was conceived as an occasional piece, festive and brilliant, intended to celebrate a unique historical moment.
The coronation itself was attended by François-René de Chateaubriand, who later recalled the event in Mémoires d’Outre-Tombe, writing with irony: “The present coronation will be a representation of a coronation, not a real one.” Stendhal, another witness of the time, attended the Paris premiere of Il Viaggio a Reims at the Théâtre Italien and, parodying Chateaubriand, observed: “We would classify it as the crowning of the performance.”
Rossini himself defined the piece as a “scenic cantata.” Its plot portrays a group of cheerful aristocratic idlers from various parts of Europe, gathered at a thermal hotel on their way to Reims to attend the coronation festivities. Despite its immediate success, the opera vanished from the repertoire and was not performed again for more than 150 years, until its rediscovery in the mid-1980s. Today, it is recognized as a masterpiece of wit, joy, and musical brilliance. Rossini would later recycle several of its themes in Le Comte Ory (1828).
Between 1810 and 1829, Rossini composed an astonishing forty operas. After that, he fell into a silence of nearly forty years with regard to lyric theatre. His music—rich in transparent, seemingly frivolous melodies—combines arias and cavatinas infused with humor and irony, yet balanced by moments of drama and lyricism. Much of this later creative life unfolded in his Paris residence on Avenue Ingres, whose ceilings were decorated with frescoes and medallions depicting Mozart, Palestrina, Cimarosa, and Paisiello.
Why Rossini abandoned opera remains a mystery. One might compare him to weary sovereigns who, at the height of their power, voluntarily renounce the throne. A sovereign can be replaced; a great artist cannot.
A Courageous Production at the CCB
The Portuguese association ÈGID – Associação Portuguesa de Artes, in collaboration with the Centro Cultural de Belém, deserves praise for undertaking such an ambitious production. Il Viaggio a Reims requires no fewer than 17 soloists, a symphonic orchestra, and a full choir—an undertaking demanding both courage and vision.
The result was a resounding success, rewarded with standing ovations from the audience. The cast comprised four sopranos, four tenors, six baritones, one bass, and two mezzo-sopranos, with a strong predominance of Portuguese singers.
Among the highlights was Rita Marques as Madama Cortese, a coloratura soprano clearly in artistic development, with a clean timbre and technical assurance, though the auditorium’s acoustics revealed some limitations in vocal projection. Carla Caramujo, as the Countess of Folleville, appeared not to be in her best vocal form and failed to fully convince either musically or dramatically.
The great surprise of the evening was the Korean tenor Kon Kim, already enjoying a successful career in London’s Covent Garden. Gifted with a rare voice, he filled the auditorium with ease, producing radiant high notes—including a true do di petto, sustained with breath and muscular support rather than falsetto—remarkable for their beauty, volume, and timbral richness.
As Lord Sidney, bass-baritone Gianluca Marghery, born in Florence, displayed a powerful and well-schooled voice, combining musicality and solidity. Notably, his training included studies with Portuguese baritone Fernando Opa, who resides in Bologna and once sang at São Carlos.
Special mention must be made of soprano Bárbara Barradas as Corinna. Her artistic evolution is striking from performance to performance. She offered a beautiful aria with a rounder, fuller timbre and refined musicality, confirming her development as a true lyric soprano—unsurprising, given that one of her teachers was Mariela Devia, the undisputed queen of bel canto. Additional praise goes to baritones André Henriques and Luís Rodrigues.
Maestro Pedro Carneiro continues to assert himself as a conductor of growing authority, guiding both orchestra and singers with confidence, balance, and stylistic awareness.
On Staging and Contemporary Opera Direction
A wave of contemporary stage directors continues to dominate opera production, often imposing their visions with near-dictatorial authority. Many opera lovers have grown disillusioned, staying away from theaters in protest against productions that disregard historical periods, distort librettos, and dislocate dramatic action from its context—often in the name of false originality or personal narcissism.
In this case, director Teresa Simas largely respected the period and spirit of the work, employing economical and stylized scenic means. However, the insertion of a hip-hop-inspired dance sequence proved questionable and unnecessary. It added nothing to the narrative and seemed designed merely to be “different,” rather than meaningful—certainly not what the audience expects or desires in this context.
Final Thoughts
For us, opera remains above all the art of lyrical singing—the voice and the singer at its core. Others may attend for the staging, the sets, or the visual spectacle. Ideally, opera should reconcile all these elements. When the voice triumphs, as it largely did in this production, Rossini’s joyful genius speaks clearly across centuries.
And that, in the end, is what truly matters.
@TNSC
Thanks to: TNSC