La scala di seta – Rossini at RNCM
Johnny James, Managing Editor
Get ready for an evening of unforgettable melodies and uproarious entertainment as the RNCM Opera returns to the stage with Rossini’s much-loved farce, La scala di seta.
You wouldn’t guess it from this self-assured music, but Rossini was just 20 years old when he was commissioned to write La scala di seta. An immediate hit (“There was nothing but tumultuous applause”, wrote Rossini to his mother the morning after the premiere), it was one of four ‘farsa comica’ operas which fed popular demand for this genre in Venice in the early 19th century.
Its sparkling, melodious overture is particularly popular, but the whole score – set to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppais – fizzes with glee and wit, prodigal in its melody and open-handed in its youthful spirit. All of which perfectly complements the rather outrageous onstage antics.
Blending humour and romance, the one-act opera follows the young and amorous Giulia, who is secretly wedded to her lover Dorvil. Unbeknown to her guardian Dormont with whom she lives, she uses a silken ladder (‘La scala di seta’) to sneak her husband into her room. But when Dormont makes it clear he intends on giving Giulia’s hand to a wealthy gentlemen named Blansac, Giulia must come up with a clever scheme to divert his affections…
This comedic story of seduction and would-be lovers will be brought to life by the RNCM Opera in typically lavish style, sung in Italian with English surtitles. The solo roles present an opportunity for the next generation of singers to showcase their abilities, while affording the audience the chance to catch a glimpse of – perhaps – the next big operatic star.
