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Gioacchino Rossini’s LA CAMBIALE DI MATRIMONIO (Bill of Marriage) An opera buffa in 1 act.

This is a DVD recording of a live performance from the Rokokotheater at the 1989 Schwetzingen Festival in Stuttgart, Germany.

It is rarely staged, but this opera holds the distinction of being the bel canto master Rossini’s 1st staged opera. Adapted from a Camillio Federici play by the librettist Gaetano Rossi, it premiered in 1810 at St Moise Theatre in Venice, Italy (the composer was only 18 yrs old).

Set in 18th Century England, this is a farce with a simple plot. The Merchant Tobias Mill is engaged by his rich Canadian customer Slook to find him a wife who satisfies certain minimum requirements (no measurements involved, promise!). Tobias offers Slook his daughter Fanny, oblivious to her being in love with Tobias’ new employee Edoardo Milfort. Upon being tipped off by the sympathetic clerk Norton of Fanny’s plight, Slook takes pity on the young lovers and helps them out-wit old man Tobias.

Rossini was known as Mister Crescendo and apparently he acquired a taste for the musical trick early (gradual increase in volume to a loud and rousing climatic ending... good examples are ‘O Fortuna’ from Orff’s Carmina Burana, popular from the soundtracks from ‘The Last of the Mohigans’ Or Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variation, used extensively in the film Elizabeth). This opera itself is a fun little 1 act crescendo with lovely melodies, wonderfully (intentional) comical interactions between the vocal line and selected orchestral instruments, and lots of virtuosic coloratura fireworks (decorating a simple melodic line with many notes sung in fast succession). At times it seems the young composer expected a bit much out of his singers and didn’t leave them much room to breathe. But the effect is thrilling for us audience, especially with the climatic florid ensemble finale.

CAST:
Tobias Mill (A merchant who thinks his daughter is a merchandise) ::: John Del Carlo (bass-baritone)
Fanny (Tobias’s daughter, loves Edoardo the clerk) ::: Janice Hall (soprano)
Edoardo Milfort (Tobias' new clerk, loves Fanny) ::: David Kuebler (tenor)
Slook (Canadian businessman looking for a mail-order wife) ::: Alberto Rinaldi (baritone)
Norton (Tobias’s attorney) ::: Carlos Feller (bass)
Clarina (Fanny’s maid) ::: Amelia Felle (mezzo-soprano)

Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti / Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Stage Director: Michael Hampe

This performance is handsomely staged in the small theatre of the Schwetzingen Festival. Beautifully detailed English look with tall glass doors/windows in the middle and oak paneled cabinets on each side. Costumes are from the early 20th Century... with the exception of Slook the fur-trader.

After a very charming overture featuring solo bits from most of the instruments (with meaty chunks for the flute and the French horn), Act I opens with Carlos Feller as Norton and Amelia Felle as Clarina flirting at each other with some fast patters (singing many syllables of lyrics per each note). These two are wonderful comic actors-singers, shining in their support roles. Sra Felle gets drown out by the flute doubling her lines a lot; however, it is harder to hear her sing due to the combination of her small-ish voice and Maestro Gelmetti’s rather loud accompaniment.

The statuesque American baritone John Del Carlo has made buffa parts like Tobias Mill his specialty and is simply delightful here. Mr Del Carlo has a fine lyric voice and nice acting skill (tho somehow sounds a little too light and lyrical for the role). He pairs well with the other big ‘buffo’ character of the show, Alberto Rinaldi’s Slook. This Slook shows up like the incarnation of the cross between John Jacob Astor and Daniel Boone ... covered in pelt from head to toe and carrying a rifle (for a few seconds I thought he was the double for that hairy grunting side-kick of Hans Solo)! I guess the Canadians are hand-on businessmen! He’s alright vocally and looks to enjoy acting this comical character very much. I’m surprised he really lights up his long pipe just before the wonderful finale (after which he and Del Carlo’s Tobias Mill settle down for an Indian style exchange of smoke)... but then perhaps he pulled a Bill Clinton and didn’t inhale.

Janice Hall, the American soprano, sings Fanny. The voice is lovely and full, though rather strained above the stave. She is nicely florid in Fanny’s 3 part aria Come tacer/ vorrei spiegarvi il giublio, however. That more than makes up for her less than comfortable acting. David Kuebler is dashing as Edoardo Milfort. Vocally secure and supple... and so is his acting, he steals all the scenes he has with his soprano partner. That’s quite a feast in a Rossini opera!

Maestro Gelmetti shows himself worthy as a winner of the Rossini d’Oro Prize (1999). His conducting is brisk and with a lively touch that perfectly suits the fun nature of this comic opera. He is also supportive of his singers, allowing them room to breath and sing without having to compete with the orchestra to be heard (though still too loud for Clarina).

All in all, this is a charming little opera that proves the Rossini knew what he was doing music-wise from an early age. It isn’t as polished as his later works. A good performance of an entry level opera to introduce to new opera fans with. Thumbs up!

1 DVD. Run-time: 82 min. Sung in Italian with subtitle in; English, French, Italian, Castellani. Extra: an interview with Michael Hampe (stage producer) and Gerhard Reuter (artistic director) in English.

If you are interested in Rossini opera, you might enjoy these other reviews:
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Zurich 2001), Le cambiale di matrimonio (Schwetzingen 1989), La Cenerentola (Munich 2005), Ermione (Glyndebourne 1995), Tancredi (R Abbado 1996), Tancredi (N Zedda), Tancredi (Schwetzingen 1992)

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4