Guest
The rich Gaudenzio has promised his ward Sofia to the son of his friend Bruschino without asking. But the latter is held in an inn with a drinking debt. Florville, Sofia’s lover, unceremoniously poses as Bruschino junior. The identity theft leads to an absurd situation, because the whole world assumes that old Bruschino is denying his paternity - that is until, in the greatest confusion, the prodigal son turns up. Although relatively early in Rossini’s output (1813), Il signor Bruschino shows the composer already at the height of his outrageous opera-buffa style. It is a masterpiece of comic verve and invention. Rossini’s idiosyncratic music is there from the start; in the ouverture, the second violins tap their bows on the metal candle holders attached to their music stands in a rhythmic gesture that pervades the whole piece. The venue for this production is just as enchanting. In the wildly romantic Kurpark in the middle of Germany’s Black Forest, stands the Kurtheater from 1864, looking not unlike a Swiss chalet with neo-baroque elements. For the last 30 years, this has been the site of a remarkable summer festival Rossini in Wildbad, presided over by Jochen Schönleber, who also directs this production with an excellent cast of Rossinian voices. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 11 August 2023 at 19:00 CET to 11 February 2024: CAST Gaudenzio, the tutor Giorgio Caoduro Sofia, his ward Eleonora Bellocci Bruschino senior Emmanuel Franco Bruschino junior Francesco Lucii Florville, Sofia’s lover Hyunduk Kim A Police Commissioner Filiberto Francesco Bruno Filiberto, an innkeeper Francesco Bossi Marianna, a maidservant Camilla Carol Farias Orchestra Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra Music Gioachino Rossini Text Giuseppe Maria Foppa Conductor José Miguel Pérez-Sierra Director Jochen Schönleber Sets Jochen Schönleber adapted from an idea by Anton Lukas Costumes Olesja Maurer Pianoforte Gianluca Ascheri
