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Diana and I attended two performances of Marco Frisina's Opera, La Divina Commedia, in Roma in it's opening week early last December. Our whole four day trip was unforgettable, as any trip to Italy is. In my estimation it is a simply marvelous show and will be enjoyed whether you are familiar or not with Marco's music. Of course, it would help to have a little knowledge of Dante's Commedia and Diana and I had but "a little knowledge" however, I intend to finish reading Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso...sometime, Boccaccio is so much more fun! One of the best staged segments is sung by Ulysses (Alberto Lupo Janelli) who is condemned to Hell with his warriors. It's a marvelous show-stopper with tremendously exciting orchestrations and a powerful all male chorus and I couldn't help thinking that Frisina would have been brilliant at scoring Peplums, carrying on the noble tradition of, among others, Rustichelli, Nicolosi and Trovaioli! On this evidence he is superb at creating exciting musical tableaux. Vittoria Matteucci is constantly engaging as Dante in a wonderfully athletic and vocally vigorous performance. But, for me the show was stolen by Lalo Cibelli as Latin poet Virgilio (Virgil), who guides Dante through Inferno and Purgatorio (as a pagan Virgilio may not enter Paradise and resides in Limbo, the first circle of Hell). Cibelli has so much onstage presence it's uncanny, I expect to see great things from this actor in the future.
I believe that they are taking the show around major cities in Italy later this year to be staged (as we experienced it) in it's own mobile 'state of the art, purpose built' Il Teatro Divina Commedia with incredible lighting, back projection, and sound system. Carlo Rambaldi has contributed some amazing effeti speciali including a fabulous spectacle of a Griffen which has to be seen to be believed! In the production that we saw in Roma at the Tor Vergata campus , the Frisina's, including Gerardo Frisina, Marco's brother,and his sons (in true Italian family tradition) are involved in the operation, helping out generally back and front stage. It is a top class professional production wonderfully executed from Mons. Frisina's original conception and scoring to final stage presentation. It's very well directed by Elisabetta Marchetti with superb collaborazione artistica e produzione musicale from Frisina regular collaborator Michele Santoro. Needless to say I got the 2 CD Original Cast recording, on sale in 'tent show' fashion at the Teatro foyer. This doesn't seem to be available yet through any of the usual outlets, and it is well worth hearing.
I want to say a special grazi to our friend, the ever helpful and reliable Maurizio at Intermezzo Media, Milano, for helping us secure tickets and wonderfully positioned seating. If you like Marco Frisina's music and you get the chance to pop over to Italy later this year to attend this Opera, do so and you won't be disappointed. Oh, and do have a nice bottle of vino afterwards to celebrate, cheers!
Niall.
P.S. Check out this link; http://www.ladivinacommediaopera.it/
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hi Niall, thankyou for the interesting report on your trip to rome, my only regret is i could not go with you as we had thought, Frisina,s music is wonderful, and his melodies have the ability to linger in ones memory for ages, I have to thank you for introducing me to some of his religious music also, this to me is film music without a movie, its so melodic and emotional, lets hope next time we can go to rome with you, john mansell.
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hi Niall, thankyou for the interesting report on your trip to rome, my only regret is i could not go with you as we had thought, Frisina,s music is wonderful, and his melodies have the ability to linger in ones memory for ages, I have to thank you for introducing me to some of his religious music also, this to me is film music without a movie, its so melodic and emotional, lets hope next time we can go to rome with you, john mansell.
Hi John, many thanks. I have no doubt that you and I and Stephen will make that trip to Rome at some stage and maybe we can also entice our pal John Bender. The Peroni will flow, the mind boggles!
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