Considering that Rossini's opera buffa "La pietra del paragone" (The
Touchstone) is hardly ever staged and that its title is not even known
through its overture, like "La scala di seta" or "La gazza ladra," music
lovers can be forgiven for being in the dark about this sparklingly
luminous work. One of Rossini's first operas, it was written for Milan's La
Scala and premiered there in 1812. It was a resounding success - in spite
of its standard libretto filled with disguises, mistaken identities and
trials of love and loyalty. But it boasts a splendidly varied orchestral
writing, which includes dramatic hunt and storm scenes, and betrays a love
of language and wordplay which presages Rossini's later works. For this
alone, it deserves an above-average treatment.
The least one can say about this magical, multi-media and often
side-splitting production by Pierrick Sorin and Giorgio Barberio Corsetti -
and its video recording by Philippe Béziat presented here - is that
Rossini's "Touchstone" is given an incomparably special treatment here!
Known for his video installations and live video performances, Sorin
magnifies Rossini's buffo humor by having the singers recorded live on
stage by five cameras, integrated into decors filmed elsewhere on the
stage, and having the result projected onto three large screens. The visual
gags and optical illusions are as sweetly mischievous and cleverly absurd
as Rossini's libretto and musical setting.
Conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi has just the right exuberance and
contagious energy to entice his Ensemble Matheus into giving its best with
boundless good humor and stunning virtuosity. He has brought together a
team of young singers who have already proven themselves in a variety of
Rossinian roles and who bring to their performance a pronounced talent for
acting - indispensable for this innovative production. Premiered at Parma's
Teatro Regio in December 2006, the production was reprised at the Théâtre
Musical de Paris (Châtelet) in January 2007, when this recording was made.
