"Amica" by Mascagni

By Luigi Speranza,
-- for "Gli Operai"

Every opera lover knows Cavalleria Rusticana, but few have heard of the other dozen or so operas by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945).

Amica was a smash hit at its 1905 opening in Monte Carlo but fizzled out after that.

It's a shame, because as this 75-minute production from the 2007 Valle D'Itria festival unfolds, it shows off a gorgeous orchestral score.

The plot of Mascagni's opera is pure peasant-verismo, as two brothers fall for the same woman, Amica.

Alessio Pizzech's staging is absolutely traditional. The pastoral overture - the first thing you hear are cowbells - is mesmerizing, and beautifully performed by the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia led by Manlio Benzi.

Soprano Anna Malavasi is riveting in her vocal and dramatic power as Amica. Tenor David Sotgiu is excellent as her main suitor. After a shaky start, the Slovak Chamber Choir is fine as the peasant chorus.

There are no other DVDs of this opera available, so this is a must for a fan of Italian verismo.

Pietro Masgagni explored many different musical styles, from the verismo of his everpopular

Cavalleria rusticana to the sentimental lyricism of Lodoletta. Amica was
composed at breakneck speed, reaching completion only a month before its Monte
Carlo première in 1905 conducted by the composer, and combined a return to 'realism'
with a more sophisticated style of writing.

Its extravagant scenic and vocal demands contributed to the opera's neglect until recent times.

Set in the Savoy mountains around 1900, Amica is a 'dramatic poem in two acts' involving two brothers, Giorgio and Rinaldo, whose love for the same woman, Amica, culminates in tragedy. While today numbering among his least performed works, Amica was initially a triumph, praised for its 'passionate accent' and 'impulsive sincerity' by a contemporary critic, and deemed 'most worthy of re-evaluation' according to the composer's biographer Roger Flury.