La Gazza Ladra

Gioachino Rossini's 1817 opera semiseria—blending comic and dramatic elements—is rarely mounted today (except for its popular overture), which makes this 2007 Pesaro Festival staging, directed by Damiano Michieletto, welcome even though the performance is variable. The plot centers on Ninetta (Mariola Cantarero), a servant girl accused of stealing a silver spoon and brought to trial by the town magistrate, Gottardo (Michele Pertusi), who uses his legal position to force her to cast aside her lover, Giannetto (Dmitry Korchak), in favor of him. A subplot concerns Ninetta's father, Fernando (Alex Esposito), an army deserter whose life is also in jeopardy. All ends well when it's revealed that the titular magpie carried off the spoon, and both Ninetta and Fernando are spared. Newly available on Blu-ray (the DVD was released in 2008), the visual quality doesn't seem much improved, while the singing is never more than competent. But the orchestral work under Lü Jia is vigorous, and the sets—using various groupings of oversized pipes to suggest different locales—are imaginative (and having an agile young dancer mime the bird is also a clever idea). Even Rossini's genius flags occasionally over the opera's three-hours-plus length, but given the fact that La Gazza Ladra is so infrequently performed, one appreciates this admittedly imperfect mounting that nevertheless affords considerable pleasure. Presented in DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)