Salzburg, Kosky's "Il viaggio a Reims" wins over the audience despite the heat

The musical direction and the cast

Particularly appreciated was the performance of Cecilia Bartoli, present on stage in her role as the protagonist of the event and therefore also as an interpreter of the Rossinian title. Her presence, the chronicles underline, represented one of the focal points of attraction of the show, alongside that of the other solo voices deployed on stage.

The cast also included the mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti, defined as "lascive" by the critics for the sensual tone of her character; the soprano Melissa Petit, applauded for an interpretation described as vividly over the top; the mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, flagged as a "Koloraturkanone" for her coloratura agility; and the bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, applauded in a role judged surprisingly rich in humor. The heterogeneity of the characterizations offered the evening a vocal mosaic of strong impact.

Kosky's directorial reading

Kosky's directorial reading, the reviews add, managed to give the work a brilliant and playful pace, alternating group tableaux with moments of greater introspection. The choice of maintaining the action within a coherent narrative arc, despite the fragmented nature of the libretto, was welcomed as one of the most original contributions of the staging.

From a scenographic and visual standpoint, the show focused on a recognizable aesthetic, consistent with Kosky's directorial language, drawing on solutions that the critics connected to a pop and playful imagery, in line with the spirit of the Rossinian opera buffa. The heat in the hall, the chronicles report, did not undermine the show's cohesion, which maintained its rhythm until the final bows.

On the musical criticism front, the overall judgment gathered by the outlets that followed the event is one of full satisfaction. The leading voices spoke of an evening that managed to combine the tradition of the Salzburg Festival with a contemporary reading of the Rossinian masterpiece, capable of speaking both to specialists of the repertoire and to the international audience that fills the Austrian city every summer.

The Whitsun Festival and the context

The Whitsun Festival, now in its edition under Bartoli's guidance, thus continues to offer a program that weaves together rarities and more frequently performed titles of the repertoire. The choice of reviving "Il viaggio a Reims" fits into a path of enhancement of the Italian comic repertoire and rediscovery of scores that, although born as celebratory occasions, still retain a vivid scenic and musical vitality.

The reviews published in the days following the premiere also highlighted the contribution of the theater's technical crews, from lighting to stage movement, factors that helped make the evening one of the most noted appointments of the summer program. The audience present responded with warm ovations at the end of the performance.

The production will remain on the calendar for the subsequent performances of the festival, with a partially renewed cast for the repeat performances scheduled in the coming weeks. The artistic direction confirmed that the title will also be offered on the occasion of some performances intended for the international circuit of the Festival, confirming the importance attributed to this new reading of the Rossinian masterpiece.