You know Rossini in his buffo operas as a master of confusion, surprise, and absurd situations? Nino Rota matches him with flying colors! Il cappello di paglia di Firenze is a hilarious opera with plenty of nods to the ensembles and virtuosic coloraturas of bel canto.
We immediately associate the name Nino Rota with the films of Federico Fellini. But Nino Rota didn't just compose for cinema. It's therefore a smart move by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie to bring his opera into the spotlight.
Who is Nino Rota?
Nino Rota (December 3, 1911 – April 10, 1979) studied composition with, among others, Ildebrando Pizzetti and Alfredo Casella, but was certainly influenced by groundbreaking composers from the early twentieth century such as Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla. He was also familiar with the harmonic sounds of Debussy and Ravel, and when Toscanini recommended him in 1931 to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, he found himself alongside colleagues like Gian Carlo Menotti and Samuel Barber. In the United States he also got to know Gershwin, Copland, and the jazz scene. Back in Italy, Nino Rota emerged primarily as a film composer for Fellini, Visconti, and Zeffirelli, to name just the most important.
He became a professor at the Conservatorio Piccinni in Bari, where he counted among his students none other than conductor Riccardo Muti, who in his biography praised him for his advice and affection. Muti testifies that Nino Rota didn't pin himself down to one style; his technique is versatile and is not limited to avant-garde.
The Straw Hat from Florence was created at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo on April 21, 1955. The composer based himself on the comedy by Eugène Labiche Un chapeau de paille d'Italie and wrote the libretto together with his mother Ernesta Rota Rinaldo. René Clair had already made a silent film of it in 1927. In the 1950s, the opera enjoyed success at the Piccola Scala in Milan in the staging of the famous director Giorgio Strehler.
Fadinard's Crazy Day
The story of "Il cappello di paglia di Firenze" is simply hilarious. A groom, Fadinard, is on his way to his wedding, but the carriage horse munches on the straw hat of a lady in the party. The opera then spends all four acts on: getting the groom to his wedding on time, keeping the prospective father-in-law calm, and getting hold of a straw hat "from Florence" to prevent the husband of Anaide, the lady of the hat, from suspecting her of infidelity. We dive from one surprise and confusion into another, with supporting characters (hat maker, soldiers) and ridiculous situations (tight shoes) ultimately propelling the story toward the happy ending: bride and groom are united!
Damiano Michieletto rightly interprets The Straw Hat from Florence as a "Crazy Day" in the style of The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. In his direction, he creates surprise and movement, and the set is perfectly adapted to this. The story is colorful enough in itself to carry the stark white decor. The key feature is the versatility and mobility of the walls and the many doors. At times the piece takes on the style of a farce with slamming doors. The characters move with great fluidity and liveliness. No matter how distressed Fadinard becomes by certain events, he never loses heart and continues to nurture the naïve hope that with the small remaining piece of the hat, he will ultimately find the right straw hat "from Florence"!
We know Michieletto as a master of comedy on the opera stage, and here too he succeeds in making the characters' foolishness feel authentic and rendering the stupid details (the orange tree that travels from scene to scene as a symbol of marital love, the shoes that are too small, the soldiers) acceptably comic and never unbelievably ridiculous. The singers certainly contribute to the success of the whole: it's a complete ensemble that realizes both the vocal parts and the acting with verve and in the proper style. Perhaps Pietro Spagnoli as the father-in-law brought the right "spirit" to the cast. The young conductor Leonardo Sini feels at home in the lively and colorful score and places the ironic accents subtly in the vocal lines where it concerns "Florence." A subtle reference from Nino Rota to Puccini's Gianni Schicchi?
The audience certainly appreciated this introduction to this charming comic opera!
