Finished with the beautiful recitative and final chorus of Domènec Terradellas’ Giuseppe risconcio, these lines share the enthusiasm of the audience in this brilliant opening of the new edition of the Torroella de Montgrí Festival.
In those critical years that Francesc Valls and Pere Rabassa lived in the cathedral of Barcelona, ??another great musician of the time, Domènec Terradellas, was born there (1713), who will develop his artistic life in major European centers in the stylistic transition towards classicism, drinking from baroque sources.
Terradellas, possibly a disciple of Valls at the cathedral, came to occupy important responsibilities in Rome, as chapel master (and died there very young in unknown circumstances in 1751) after having directed in 1746-47 the King’s Theater in London His training took place in Naples and it was there that his first opera Giuseppe riconosciutto was premiered in 1736 which now opens this edition of Torrroella. A festival that showcases these presentations and commitment to Catalan musical heritage.
Brilliant work then so interpretation. Undoubtedly five stars in this aspect, to which is added the sound recovery, with a sense much closer to the original to the instruments of Vespres d’Arnadí, a group that is growing at a steady pace led by Dani Espasa on the harpsichord.
There are many factors that bring this proposal to the forefront of quality and without a doubt the vocal soloists: the soprano Alicia Amo who conveys happiness with a beautiful voice, good phrasing and entity in the character, as well as her colleague Mercedes Gancedo, alongside Anna Alàs, in well-differentiated areas, with personality and vocal beauty; Roger Padullés and Jorge Navarro excellent, and the soprano Rafael Quirant a very pleasant surprise, natural delivery, tuning, exceptional timbre and musicality.
It is necessary to project the texts in the pose, and to wish that this proposal has more visibility and can be filmed, thus allowing an adjustment of the actor’s expression; it is a scenic work, and Neapolitan!
Ernest Lluch, an outstanding music lover, who for years stimulated even with his own scholarly works, the recognition of the musical history of Catalonia in the European context, was remembered in this concert. And now we add the well-deserved memory of the figure of musicologist Josep Dolcet who, in this case of Terradellas, has done important work, and in particular the recovery of this opera of his youth, which was released in 1995.
Torroella begins in this way showing off his best profile, and tonight none other than the Orchestra of the Enlightenment and Mark Padmore. In summary, a festival that in this new stage maintains an identity committed to this difficult task of valuing Catalan musical history, without leaving aside the renewing spirit and the great repertoire already recognized.
There are many festivals in the summer, some that have unfortunately opted for the path of speculation and the easy agency formula, but there are few that maintain a level that means that every year we have to be attentive to their proposals, both in this field of revising history, as well as in the interpretation of high-level universal repertoire. We now have an excellent new generation of musicians, some present at this concert, who deserve recognition for their hard work. A version that showed the expressive impetus of Terradellas, his formidable sense of the use of vocal variety, character, dramatic sense, which are already seen in a work of his youth, in a short and musically rich life.
