Gioachino Rossini wrote this bubbly bit of nonsense in 1825 for a special occasion--the crowning of King Charles X of France--and it was withdrawn after four festival performances and never published (the ever-thrifty composer used some of the music three years later in another opera). In fact, it wasn't until 1984 that the score was reconstructed and the work performed again in something resembling its original form, which is less an opera than an elaborate serenade. The titular journey never actually occurs, as the international travelers bound for Rheims for the coronation are stranded at a fashionable hotel, where they wile away the hours complaining about their travel problems and real or imagined love affairs before coming together at a banquet where they sing national anthems and combine for a hymn of praise to the new monarch (who, of course, would be overthrown five years later). But if there's remarkably little narrative to Il Viaggio a Reims, the music is a marvel--a succession of arias and ensembles of astonishing beauty and skill, with some featuring the crescendos for which the composer was so famous. The piece demands more than a dozen outstanding singers, and though the cast in this 2003 Barcelona staging isn't as starry as those enlisted for the two audio recordings conducted by Claudio Abbado, they're surprisingly adept in meeting Rossini's formidable coloratura demands. Jes(s L(pez Cobos' conducting is crisp and pointed, the sets and costumes colorful and elegant, and the camerawork and sound recording are excellent (with DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM stereo options). Given that aren't likely to be many DVD versions of this obscure opera, this one (spread over two discs, though disappointingly devoid of extras) is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Il Viaggio a Reims
(2003) 2 discs. 164 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $29.99. TDK (dist. by Naxos of America). Color cover. Volume 20, Issue 1
Il Viaggio a Reims
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