Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision, travels to a European festival that is something of a hidden gem: Rossini in Wildbad in Germany’s Black Forest. Friday night’s production of Rossini’s sparkling medieval ballad, Le Comte Ory, includes some joyous musical recycling (attentive ears will recognise part of last week’s stream, Il viaggio a Reims) and plenty of cross-dressing.
So what to make of Rossini’s comedy Le Comte Ory? Well, it is certainly more than just a collection of old man’s jokes. When the Count has finally managed to penetrate the barricaded castle, Isolier appears (who is actually not allowed in either) but has a key role: he unmasks the Count and, in an indescribably beautiful trio, he stands disguised in the dark between him and the Countess to protect her. The Count tries to approach him. But wait! Isolier is not a man at all, it is a woman in travesty. So we have a tenor disguised as a woman who thinks he is making love to a soprano, while in fact he is courting an alto in the role of man who takes the place of the soprano. And what to make of an opera in which a large proportion of the music derives directly from a work whose substance is entirely different, namely, Il viaggio a Reims? There are indeed many questions to address faced with one of Rossini’s most charming and graceful operas. The annual celebration of Rossini in Wildbad in Germany’s Black Forest seeks in their new production to tackle at least one. Who is Isolier? Is the boy Isolier a man or a woman who dreams of being a man, strong like a crusader?
Here is a clue as to who is who: Comte Ory is sung by Patrick Kabongo, Countess Adele is sung by Sophia Mchedlishvili and Isolier is sung by Diana Haller.
Plot: all the men are away on a Crusade. Only the young Count and his companions are around but have other things in mind; they are on the prowl for amorous adventures. In ridiculous disguises, they try to outwit the women, for now, bereft of their husbands. The beautiful and strict Countess Adele, to honour her crusading brother and other knights, has taken a vow of chastity, although she has fallen in love with Count’s noble squire, the young Isolier. Surely, in such circumstances, shouldn’t all men be banished from her castle?
Sung in French. Subtitles in French, German and English.
Streamed on Friday 23 August 2024 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 New York
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