FULL IL BRUTTO ANATROCCOLO (Passantino) Novara 2024 Nicola Ciulla, Francesca Mercuriali, Stefano Paradiso

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: IL BRUTTO ANATROCCOLO  
• Composer: Passantino Salvatore   
• Libretto: Ugo Giacomazzi, Luigi Di Gangi    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Fondazione Teatro Carlo Coccia di Novara, Italy  
• Recorded: March 2024
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Nicola Ciulla, Francesca Mercuriali, Stefano Paradiso, Nicola di Filippo, Francesca Pusceddu
• Conductor: Aram Khacheh  
• Orchestra: Ensemble del Teatro Carlo Coccia  
• Stage Director: Davide Garattini  
• Stage Designer: Josephin Capozzi  
• Costume Designer: Josephin Capozzi  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Fondazione Teatro Carlo Coccia di Novara  
• Date Published: 2024  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: yessubs, itsubs, gensubs  
• Video Recording from: YouTube     FULL VIDEO
•  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

“The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen is certainly one of the most famous fairy tales in the world. Unfortunately, however, today there are still many children who live the same story, perhaps more than ever the ugly duckling is a modern, dramatically current fairy tale which has become increasingly burdened with the evolution of society with existential problems typical of adolescence. Anyone of us knows an ugly duckling, perhaps we ourselves have been one at some point in our lives, there are certainly many who experience an ugly duckling situation on a daily basis; “the marginalized because they are different” is a situation that can be experienced daily in every area and in every moment of our lives. However, sooner or later we find ourselves in the story of the ugly duckling, any of us, inexorably. The work we are bringing to the stage does not have a traditional vision as Andersen wrote it, we started from the original to bring it as much as possible to the present day, with a language that can reach the spectator sitting in the audience directly. From the image of the duckling which has entered the collective iconography, we wanted to develop a representation that would make it less dated, creating a new symbolic world, where the puppy is increasingly a new Charlot and consequently all the other characters surrounding him are transform, so our duckling will experience a story of growth also through new or transversal characters and in a more dreamlike and surreal vision entrusted to scenes and costumes. We are in a place of imagination, a magnificent container where everything happens and everything is transformed, moving from inside to outside with the simple play of creativity and imagination both for those who thought it up and for those who will see the show. A kaleidoscope of images will appear frantically in a continuous metamorphosis, exactly like the story the duckling experiences. Dramaturgy and image dance together to accompany us in reliving a story that we all think we know but perhaps need to dust off.
Davide Garattini

Muto’s story is the story of all of us who, in one way or another, feel different and sometimes inadequate. Through his challenges, failures and successes, we will learn to accept our uniqueness and find our true voice. The Ugly Duckling is a work that is aimed at an audience of all ages. The engaging music, memorable characters and message of hope make it a work that will move you and make you reflect. The musical style is eclectic, combining elements of contemporary classical music, traditional opera and popular music. The instrumental ensemble (made up of flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, double bass and percussion) plays a fundamental role, creating evocative atmospheres and underlining the personalities and emotions of the characters. There is no shortage of quotes from the great operatic repertoire, such as the Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Don Giovanni and Cavalleria Rusticana. The vocality of the four soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass) is put to the test by the variety of styles used. The singers, each having to interpret more than one character, find themselves ranging from the lyrical style to the recitative, from the flowery style to the choral style up to the Sprechgesang and the recitative. A truly difficult test that requires great interpretative flexibility. Six scenes, six sound worlds The opera is divided into six scenes, each characterized by a specific musical atmosphere: First Scene: An explosion of rhythmic liveliness characterizes the opening scene, with Muto’s brothers singing showing off their singing skills outside from the municipality. The music, bright and playful, underlines the skill, ease and virtuosity of the mother and singing brothers, contrasted with Muto’s embarrassing silence. Second Scene: The atmosphere becomes intimate and melancholic in the meeting between Muto and Fiammetta. The soprano’s singing is tinged with delicacy and yearning, while Muto tries in vain to express his feelings with warbles and voiceless vocalizations. Fiammetta, although admiring his inner beauty, is unable to understand his language and rejects him. An ending, with intertwined melodies and dissonant harmonies, underlines the frustration and lack of communication between the two characters. Third Scene: A biting and grotesque irony pervades the third scene, with Cat and Fox deceiving Muto by selling him a fake miraculous elixir for his voice. The tenor and bass perform in a great funny duet, with jumping melodies and tight rhythms, which underline the cunning and deception of the two characters. Fourth Scene: Drama and anguish take over the scene with Muto facing his loneliness and the pain of rejection. The music becomes dark and tormented, with the orchestra performing a heartbreaking adagio. The voices of the off-stage singers, representing the voices of Muto’s conscience, intertwine in a four-part madrigal, creating a counterpoint of pain and suffering. Fifth Scene: A cold and dark atmosphere pervades the beginning of the fifth scene, with Muto experiencing a freezing internal and external winter. The orchestra plays music, with string tremolos that evoke cold and loneliness. In the sixth scene the metamorphosis occurs: the discovery of one’s voice translates into a symphony of hope and rebirth. The sounds of nature integrate with the orchestra in a crescendo of joy and triumph. The vocality expands, the orchestra makes use of all its timbral richness. The singers in the choir sing a hymn to joy and diversity. The Ugly Duckling is a work with a strong emotional impact, where the music underlines the emotions and conveys a message of hope and rebirth. A musical journey that celebrates the beauty of diversity and the power of music to unite and move.
Salvatore Passantino