The new production of L’Italiana in
Algeri at the Deutsche Oper Berlin was, on the surface, an utterly
shameless crowd-pleaser … it was also, arguably, the most fun one could hope to
have in an opera house. Rossini’s gloriously unsubtle volleys of bel-canto
extravagance were matched note for note by Rolando Villazón’s exuberant
staging, which improbably but seamlessly removed the action from its original
setting and plunged it straight into the world of lucha libre. With a cast of
skilled comedic performers and highly charged musical direction from Alessandro
de Marchi the evening was a perfect storm of unconfined energy that only the
most humourless traditionalist could have failed to enjoy.
Wrestling, in its modern form, is often
considered a trashy entertainment, disparaged as much for the outlandish
personae of its leading figures as…
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