{"id":1706,"date":"2026-06-28T20:54:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T20:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/premesso.com\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2026-06-28T22:47:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T22:47:02","slug":"la-cenerentola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/premesso.com\/?p=1706","title":{"rendered":"La Cenerentola"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barns at Wolf Trap \u2022 Saturday, June 27, 2026 \u2022 7:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we head towards American 250, I will concede that the Barns at Wolf Trap might be an appropriate setting for Rossini’s La Cenerentola<\/em>, although I’d have preferred the Kennedy Center. Part of the larger Wolf Trap complex, the performance took place in a converted barn whose scale suited Rossini’s madcap opera well. From an upstairs seat, the entire stage remained in view, and the room was small enough that no one seemed far from the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the curtain, my seat-neighbor introduced herself as a former singer who now works with the regional branch of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont young artist competitions. She pointed out that Angel Raii Gomez, the principal tenor (Prince Ramiro), was a singer who had come through the program, a reminder that the production serves as a showcase for emerging talent. The two patrons seated beside us quietly departed during intervallo<\/em> and did not return, leaving us an empty row for the remainder of the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The production was, mercifully, traditional. The costumes suggested the nineteenth (or at least early twentieth) century, and there was no attempt to relocate the story into a modern setting or surround the singers with video screens or conceptual symbolism — sadly not the case for the numerous Mozart performances I saw in 2020 at Brussels’ otherwise-magisterial La Monnaie. For those accustomed to stage directors who want to upstage composers and singers, common to northwestern Europe, a welcome change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our American case, the director and cast only erred by pursuing comedy a bit too enthusiastically. As I remarked to my seat mate, well, it is<\/em> an opera buffa<\/em>, and opera need not conform always to La Scala’s ominous black-cloaked ushers. But after one too many episodes of exaggerated facial expressions, corny dances, and slapstick during an otherwise stunning aria I grew weary. (I believe it was during Raii Gomez’s rendition of “Si ritrovarla io giuro” that I really felt the clowning of the male chorus was a detraction.) Rossini leaves room for humor, but the staging often seemed reluctant to trust either the libretto or the score. A lighter approach would have allowed the comedy to emerge on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The singing carried the evening. The cast was consistently strong, particularly the principal bass, whose voice anchored every ensemble in which he appeared. The company reflected opera’s international character, with singers from a variety of backgrounds sharing the stage. Once the music began, biography became irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolf Trap itself proved part of the evening’s appeal. Located just off one of Northern Virginia’s busiest highways, it nevertheless feels removed from the surrounding suburbs. Arriving well before the 7:30 curtain left time to walk the grounds, where patrons lingered over dinner before making their way to the Barns. The audience was casually but neatly dressed, giving the evening the atmosphere of a summer festival rather than a formal gala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first visit to the Barns, the evening was an introduction worth making. The production occasionally mistook quantity of comedy for comic timing, but Rossini’s score was served by a strong young cast in a venue that suits chamber-scale opera well. I left thinking less about the staging than about returning for another performance — which I may do if I can get a ticket for Evgeny Onegin<\/em> next month. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barns at Wolf Trap \u2022 Saturday, June 27, 2026 \u2022 7:30 p.m. As we head towards American 250, I will concede that the Barns at Wolf Trap might be an appropriate setting for Rossini’s La Cenerentola, although I’d have preferred the Kennedy Center. Part of the larger Wolf Trap complex, the performance took place in … <\/p>\n

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