Crime novels are all the rage in Florence
For the first time, Carlo Fuortes takes up pen and paper, and in two well-crafted pages – in his usual style – introduces the audience to *Romanzo criminale*, the new opera with a libretto by Giancarlo De Cataldo, music by Nicola Piovani and directed by Massimo Popolizio, a project he – the successful artistic director – was keen to bring to fruition. He managed to bring it to Florence and once again hit the mark: the Teatro del Maggio was won over, everyone was smiling, there were eight minutes of final celebrations and even a standing ovation. This has never happened before in a contemporary production. With the added ‘bonus’ of the live TV broadcast on RaiDue, available on RaiPlay.
‘Emotion’ and ‘to move’ are the two recurring terms in Fuortes’s foreword in the programme, and they represent the fundamental ingredients of the music and the libretto. Piovani, who with the utmost humility – that of true artists – conducts the large orchestra in the pit, relies radically on the tonal system: his *Criminali* are more tonal than the neo-Romantics; simpler than the neo-melodic composers. A four-note motif, repeated throughout, acts as the glue binding the vocal and instrumental fabric together, with references to Nino Rota, Puccini and a touch of Mascagni. The 80-year-old, Oscar-winning composer demonstrates that simplicity must be earned. And he calls for a well-constructed dramatic structure, where the narrative fits perfectly within the two-act division, with precise design. And the ‘hurrah’ verses are indeed verses: De Cataldo, who cut his teeth as a librettist on two children’s operas (civic-minded, socially engaged works produced by the Opera Domani circuit), revives the devices of the masters of versification. He plays with metre, rhyme, anaphora and an incredible number of sdrucciole. He spices things up with a few risqué words, such as ‘garuffa’ and ‘capoccione’. He then parodies ‘Tosca’ with a nod to ‘E avanti a lui tremava mezza Roma’.
It sounds ‘easy’, but with all top-quality ingredients: *Romanzo criminale* – produced in collaboration with *Musica per Roma*, its natural audience – would work perfectly on the international circuit. For it also represents us visually, with the classy staging by Margherita Palli and the glimpse of a metaphysical stadium housing the choir high above – excellent as ever, prepared by Lorenzo Fratini. The final ‘Miserere’ becomes a beautiful piece in its own right. The costumes possess the understated elegance of Silvia Aymonino; the skilful lighting is by Pasquale Mari; the choreography is by Michele Abbondanza; and the visuals are by Jacopo Stoppa. Leading the cast is the prima donna Vanessa Goikoetxea, a stunning presence as she acts as narrator, addressing the audience. The other members of the Magliana gang are all well-trained young actors, versatile in the cinematic style of acting – fluid and laid-back – required by Massimo Popolizio. Amidst guns and deaths, “pam pam pam”, the four wild children ultimately triumph: twice as powerful as the cold-blooded criminals, they speak of a past that today’s youth gangs are bringing to the fore, urging us not to overlook it.
Crime Novel
Music and conducting by Nicola Piovani
