Nino Rota’s opera Aladino e la lampada magica premiered in 1968 after two years of composition and many revisions. At that time, Rota was widely celebrated for his film scores for Federico Fellini's films, and a few years later he would be composing his iconic score for The Godfather. For a long time, few knew that Rota was also an accomplished composer for the concert hall and opera house; his only widely known contribution to the latter was his farce Il cappello di paglia di Firenze.
At the Festival della Valle d'Itria, director Rita Cosentino builds for Aladdin a simple staging; the story is set in a library (Leila Fteita's set and costume designs) where a teacher takes a group of children. A particular book attracts one of the children, and he begins to read. Through his fantasy, the characters appear, immersed in a fairy-tale, childlike atmosphere.
In this three-act opera drawn from the popular collection The Arabian Nights, a magician claims to be Aladdin’s uncle and leads him on the quest for the magic lamp, which remains in Aladdin’s hands, while the Genie of the Ring helps him escape death. Aladdin's mother, cleaning the lamp they intend to sell, releases another Genie who fulfils their desires. Aladdin falls in love with the King's daughter, the Princess Badr-al-Budùr, and, with the Genie's help, gains the wealth needed to marry her. In the final act, the magician steals the lamp and transports the palace and the princess to the Maghreb. With the Genie of the Ring's help, Aladdin reaches the princess, recovers the lamp and returns home with his wife and palace. The performance ends with a children's chorus, linking back to the child in the library with whom the opera had opened.
Rota marks his own stylistic signature here, with melodic lines, harmonies and a combination of timbres, showing his mastery in making complex music features appear simple. Only when he lingers on a less inspired academic style, as is the case in the first act, he proves quite tiresome.
Bass Marco Filippo Romano portrayed both the magician and the king; from time to time, he cleverly depicted the dark soul and sleaziness of the sorcerer and the arrogance of the ruler, with a versatility that confirmed his exceptional talent. Tenor Marco Ciaponi played Aladdin, his voice truly shining during his passionate exchanges with the princess, demonstrating good projection and expressive intent.
Aladdin's mother was played by Eleonora Filipponi, who brought warmth and credibility to the devoted maternal figure, while Badr-al-Budùr was portrayed by Claudia Urru, who revealed promising lyrical prowess. The two genies, Alexander Ilvakhin (the Ring) and Giovanni Accardi (the Lamp), delivered impeccable, albeit brief, performances. Rocco Cavalluzzi as the Grand Minister and Omar Cepparolli as the goldsmith gave praiseworthy performances. Aladdin's playmates, the tenors Pepe Hannan, Davide Zaccherini, and Zachary McCulloch, along with Anastasia Churakova as the servant, also deserve a mention. Additionally, the production was enhanced by the extras and two dancers, Emanuela Boldetti and Samuel Moretti.
Rota's score found new life thanks to the outstanding conducting of Francesco Lanzillotta, who, making his debut at the festival with the Orchestra and Choir of the Petruzzelli Theatre, confirmed his mastery by enhancing the score with precision and sensitivity. His conducting highlighted every facet, from delicate accents to witty passages, to solemn marches, to gloomy atmospheres, always maintaining perfect dynamic balance. The orchestra and chorus brilliantly overcame the technical difficulties, revealing the melodic and harmonic richness of Rota's work.
Lorenzo's press trip was funded by the Festival della Valle d'Itria.
