'Boogie, boogie', Groucho Marx shouts from a box during Il Trovatore. In the movie A Night At The Opera, he and his mates are determined to sabotage a performance of the opera. It already starts with the overture by handing out nuts, as if it were a baseball game. Made fun of the opera? No, only the stately opera audience. Actually, I think it would be great to see Il Trovatore with a bag of popcorn
… on hand, if it didn't crack like this. The opera offers entertainment of the highest kind. A wonderful horror story. Fortunately, conductor Ricardo Muti did not opt for an 'artistic' approach, which kills all the players. But also not for a bombastic one, which gives the singers hoarse throats and the audience a headache. Muti is based on the story and leads the Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala with a great sense of theater. With a number of capable singers such as Leo Nucci and Barbara Frittoli at his disposal, he made a compelling performance. (CP)more
