Mariella Devia and Stefano Secco, conflicting couple for a night at Marseille Opera House.

Last night, the opening night for Roberto Devereux, not only the Muses had a date with the singers but also Santa Cecilia was interfering... Therefore, that night at the Opera was a night of refined Bel Canto.
It was a concert version.

The tenor Stefano Secco who performed the opera in Lyon sang and acted his part whereas all the other protagonists sang this part for the first time and were more or less following the score. This is always frustrating, but this feeling did not last long. It was soon overwhelmed by the energy and quality of the singing and the great rhythm of the orchestra. (A pity it made the last cabalettas rather painful for almost all four parts, soprano, bass, tenor and mezzo in turn, because it was too loud, especially, in the brass section).

Mariella Devia had a royal look as soon as she appeared, and her voice never showed any sign of strain either in the low range or in the high flying light notes of the cabalettas.
Her singing was exhilarating, at ease in low and very high range, with elegance - no distortion of the face, a maestria in the gestures, and facial expressions which is amazing.

This is a marvellous opera which has not just one star but four with the two couples, Sara and her husband, bass and Mezzo, and the Royal Soprano-Elisabetta and her lover Roberto, count of Essex, tenor.

I see it like a battle of feelings between four human musical instruments, and last night, with this amazing cast, it was a real challenge for all four of them.

The last arias from the deceived Queen were stunning, and if anyone won this song contest I think it was her.

Mariella Devia sang all the affects with brio and was absolutely matched with Stefano Secco's voice and style. He was acting and moving, which made him sound more real and comfortable in all his great arias. Roberto has his arias at the end of the opera which does not make things easy for a tenor. He, too, was stunning.

Both the Queen and Roberto express until the end conflicting hopes.
She longs for him to come back to her and bring the ring she gave him as a token of love so that she can pardon him and save his life.
He is in prison and hopes until the last minute that she will get the ring from his true love Sara, Duchess of Nottingham,and then be saved by his Queen.

Only the music and the singing can deal with such conflicting affects. The cabalettas in their changed forms seem to increase the weight of the feelings and go deeper into the drama. It is like a whirl of passion. Bel Canto, either from Bellini, Rossini or Donizetti has an addictive effect on me. I am definitely hooked. So I am going for a second time on Sunday. I hope to be brave enough to go and thank these singers and have some of my photos signed.
A token of love of Bel Canto from an almost Italian cast, except for sweet Béatrice Uria-Monzon who enacted a very touching Sara.

Fabio Maria Capitanucci, was also very convincing in this difficult part of a disappointed husband and friend. I hope there will be a radio broadcast of this opera, Mariella Devia is definitely Elisabetta. There are simple light melodies flying in the course of the main arias which make her role amazing, and she sang these with real charm : the flash back to their happy days together:

Col pensiero io torno
A stagion più ridente:
Allora i giorni miei
Scorrean soavi al par della speranza!
.....
Un tenero core mi rese felice,
Provai quel contento
Che labbro non dice...
Un sogno d'amore... la vita mi parve!
Ma il sogno disparve... disparve quel cor!

This is so fine with the music, because truly, as she says, the words cannot express this dream of love and happiness.
Only the music can. Indeed!
This is what I am hooked on!
The tenor part has also passages of sheer beauty apart from the fascinating cabbaletas.
At the end, when hope is abandoned, he expresses total despair in his last aria with this touching poetic move towards his beloved Sara.
He does not want her to be accused of having deceived her husband, it was platonic love between them:

Io corro, io volo a chiedere
Per te soccorso a Dio!

And here is the melody from pure angels really:

Impietositi gli angeli
Ecoal mio duol faranno...
Si piangerà d'affanno
La prima volta in ciel!

So I shall go back on Sunday, keeping in mind I may never hear this opera again under such good conditions.