LA PIETRA DEL PARAGONE (The Touchstone) concerns the Count Asdrubale who is wealthy and therefore of great interest to many women – notably Aspasia, Fulvia, and Clarice. Only Clarice, however, loves him for something other than his riches. There are also male hangers-on: the corrupt journalist Macrobio, the poetaster Pacuvio, and Giocondo, who is Asdrubale's true friend, but who has his own eyes on Clarice. To test his friends and would-be fiancées, Asdrubale pretends that he has been bankrupted. Sure enough, only Clarice and Giocondo stand by him, and when his fortune is "miraculously" saved, the three have the last laugh on everyone else... or do they? This production is set in what looks like the early 1960s. But the real innovation is the use of blue screen technology: using tiny cameras and sets, along gigantic screens hanging over the stage, a kind of video mixing makes the singers appear to inhabit any number of fanciful settings and perform a myriad of improbable actions.
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Reviews
Simply Perfect
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
The acting in this movie is really good.
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
La Pietra Del Paragone is not one of Rossini's best operas but it does deserve to be better known. The story is somewhat flimsy yet maintains interest at least and the music is wonderful. I loved every minute of this Chatelet production. The fanciful settings, the handsomely-attired costumes and the use of blue screen technology make for a very interesting and quite unique(for an opera production) visual experience, while the staging is fun and inventive yet the Melodramma Giocoso elements of the opera are well handled. Some may find some of the staging rather gimmicky, perhaps too much so, but I personally didn't find that to be the case. The orchestral playing is lush and stylish, while the conducting shows a great understanding for Rossini's style. The sound quality is clear and crisp. The performances I also found myself loving. Top honours go to Sonia Prina, whose energy and stage presence leave you riveted to your seat and I was amazed at how such a big voice and such secure technique came out of a woman as small as Prina was. Francois Lis is handsome and characterful, and sings with a pleasingly dark timbre that still has flexibility. Jose Manuel Zapato has the style and has a nice voice and a charming presence, though these can get lost in ensembles and at times I got the sense that he was still a Rossini tenor in training(if you get what I mean). The rest of the cast are excellent. Overall, a brilliantly inventive, very well performed and enormously fun production. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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