Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729-1774)
Gli Uccellatori (1759)
Contessa Armelinda – Bryndis Guðjónsdóttir (soprano)
Marchese Riccardo – Massimo Frigato (tenor)
Roccolina– Justina Vaikuite (alto)
Cecco – Elia Colombotto (baritone)
Mariannina – Angelica Disanto (soprano)
Pierotto – Huigang Liu (bass)
Toniolo – Joan Folqué (tenor)
Orchestra ICO della Magna Grecia/Enrico Pagano
rec. live, 2 & 5 August 2023, Teatro Verdi, Martina Franca, Italy
Italian libretto and English translation available online
First recording
Dynamic CDS8033.02 [2 CDs: 114]
The Bohemian-born composer Florian Gassmann for the most part sits in the shadow of his most famous pupil, Salieri. Within the last 20 years or so there has been the occasional revival of interest in one of his operas. They seem to mostly fall into the territory of comic opera or as in the case of Gli Uccellatori, Drama Giocoso. My only previous acquaintance with one of Gasmmann’s operas was hearing a broadcast from the French radio transmission of René Jacobs’ exhumation of what seems to be Gassmann’s most important opera called L’Opera Seria. That work is a sort of extended backstage account of the wild antics behind the proscenium when an opera is being created, not unlike the Prologue from Ariadne auf Naxos. It is a remarkably fine work and has yet to make its way onto a commercial recording. Perhaps Harmonia Mundi, or another enterprising company, can be persuaded to release Jacobs’ French Radio recording, as it would fill an important gap in the catalogue.
Gli Uccellatori was premiered in Venice in 1759 and seems to have been successful enough to be performed around central Europe in the years following the premiere. Gassmann’s death at the young age of 45 meant that his works did not hang around in the repertoire for long afterward. I wish that I could report that Gli Uccellatori shows us a forgotten masterpiece that will find new life in the opera houses of the 21st century, but sadly this is not the case here. The opera is fairly inconsequential stuff with an admittedly tuneful and well-crafted score, but one would search in vain for any sort of musical expression of emotional depth which seems to have been outside Gassmann’s abilities as a composer. It takes composers of the stature of Handel, Gluck and Mozart to delve deeper into the psyches of his characters. Gassmann’s music is thoroughly professional and accomplished in terms of beauty and technical ability, but in the emotional department he was not in their league.
This recording derives from performances at the Marina Franca Festival. For years operas have been staged in the courtyard of the ducal palace and had a tendency to sound sonically rather weak if not inferior on CDs and videos. However, a 1920s movie place has been splendidly refurbished with stage facilities and now hosts many performances for the festival. Despite its live origin the sound on this recording is fresh and warm, with the voices not too close and the orchestra well captured within the audio spectrum. Of course being live there are many of the productions thumps and bumps to go along with the music. There is also a smattering of applause here and there.
The opera concerns a trio of bird catchers and their matching maids who all become romantically entangled with one another and a Marquis and Countess. In any 18th century comic opera the various trials and tribulations of love frequently attempt to cross over the nobility versus servant boundaries, although in the end everyone ends up with a partner of similar station in life.
The cast on this recording clearly gives their all to bring this work to life. In general their hard work pays off. Among the male singers the strong, elegant sounds of baritone of Elia Colombotto really stand out and make him someone to watch for in future. His forthright tone is one of the most pleasant things about the set. In the other male roles, the singing falls mostly into the acceptable category with only the tenor Joan Folqué seeming just too light of voice for his role.
Among the women of this cast the vocal honours are more evenly distributed. The Icelandic soprano Bryndis Guðjónsdóttir sings the Countess most vividly and shows real abandon in her characterization. Sometimes her tone becomes a trifle fierce sounding in alt but hers also a talent to take note of. Angelica Disanto makes a bright and pert sounding Marianina and Justina Vaikuite is a delightful Roccolina.
Enrico Pagano manages the ebullient score with humour and wit. The orchestral contribution is virtually beyond reproach. The recitatives are managed quite engagingly and it is a relief to hear them accompanied by a harpsichord instead of the ungainly sound of the pianoforte. On the whole this issue is a delightful way to spend a couple of hours getting acquainted with Gassmann’s gifts even if they never really seem to grab at one’s heartstrings.
Mike Parr
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