Musical farce in four acts by Nino Rota, libretto by himself and Ernesta Rinaldi from the play Un chapeau de paille d’Italie by Eugène Labiche and Marc Michel
New version of the staging by the Fondazione Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova in collaboration with the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège
Main characters and performers:
Fadinard
Marco Ciaponi
Nonancourt
Nicola Ulivieri
Beaupertuis/Emilio
Paolo Bordogna
Uncle Vezinet
Didier Pieri
Felice
Gianluca Moro
Achilles of Rosalba/One guard
Blagoj Nacoski
A corporal of the guards
Franco Rios Castro
Elena
Benedetta Torre
Anaide
Giulia Bolcato
The milliner
Marika Colasanto
The Baroness of Champigny
Sonia Ganassi
Concertmaster and conductor
Giampaolo Bisanti
Director
Damiano Michieletto
Scenes
Paolo Fantin
Costumes
Silvia Aymonino
Lighting
Luciano Novelli
Orchestra, chorus and technicians of the Opera Carlo Felice Genoa
Choirmaster Claudio Marino Moretti
Il cappello di paglia di Firenze is one of Nino Rota’s most famous works. Composed in 1945 to a libretto by himself and his mother, Ernesta Rinaldi, the opera was first performed only ten years later, on 21 April 1955, at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. With an excellent reception from the public, Il cappello was soon taken up in other Italian theatres by established directors such as Giorgio Strehler at the Piccola Scala and abroad. The libretto is taken from the 1851 farce Un chapeau de paille d’Italie by Eugène Labiche and Marc-Michel and is divided into four acts. A splendid example of French-style comedy, the story stars young Fadinard, who on the day of his wedding to Elena finds himself having to chase a straw hat from Florence all over the city, running into various characters, disguises, jealousies and deceptions, until a deaf uncle arrives to save the day in time for the wedding. The plot lends itself perfectly to musical transposition, and Rota exploits the innate dramaturgy of the subject matter, which is 19th century in character, to create a rich, even parodic evocation of the history of opera, drawing on different styles from Mozart to Rossini to Mascagni. The composer’s skill lies in his ability to render a work with a personal and unified character, while maintaining clear references and quotations. Another obvious aspect is the dramaturgical dynamism, due to the rhythm of the narrative itself, but also to the musical expressiveness that the composer mastered thanks to his substantial film career.
