Paisiello's Nina

[Brünnhilde ewig]

I gave in and had ordered the DVD of Giovanni Paisiello's Nina because Jonas Kaufmann has the second leading role. Unfortunately the title lady is Cecilia Bartoli and the people who said she has learned to control her 'liveliness' were wrong. Letting her play a mentally deranged woman is a grave mistake, it only gives her a chance to really go nuts. So she can sing; so can other sopranos. Kaufmann's role is small, he gets one aria but usually sits on a chair and watches Nina carrying on. The music is a bit of Mozart, nothing to make me listen to more of it. It's a production from Zürich Opera, which is usually interesting, well, this one isn't. The chair for Jonas to sit on is the only piece of furniture and on the floor are two pieces of plywood?, raked, for the chorus to sit on. And there is a stairway for Nina's father to come down or go up on. Unless you insist on experiencing Bartoli, you won't need this one.

[JoshLilly]

It's actually not a bad opera.  I love the overture!!!  But actually, it's probably my least favourite Paisiello opera that I've ever heard, despite it being perhaps the most popular today.  Have you ever listened to his Il barbiere di Siviglia?  There's a very cheap recording on Nova Arte that's lively and satisfactory.  It's the music itself that's superb.  I think this one stacks up well with more famous operas, but I personally wouldn't be able to say the same for Nina.

I have that very same DVD, and I wish I could argue against your review to defend the opera (which, as I said, I don't consider to be very bad).  Unfortunately, I can't... considering the high profile of Bartoli and what a superb opportunity this could have been to further the cause of the underappreciated Paisiello, I have to cringe.  I wish this DVD hadn't been made, since I fear it may turn off people from searching out others of Paisiello's works, or superior performances even of Nina itself (I have one, but I can't find it just now to get the info).

I second your review with serious regret, except to disagree with the assessment of the music as "a bit of Mozart".  As a heavy inbiber of that time period in music, I don't think it's similar to W.A. Mozart at all.  I'd never mistake Nina for any kind of Germanic anything.

[Brünnhilde ewig]

Appreciate your reply very much! I am a stranger to Paisiello and as I said, only bought the DVD because of Kaufmann. I believe, reading your opinion, I should run through the disc again and this time turn off the video, keeping the hyperactive Bartoli out of sight.

I read a short bio of Paisiello and the Barbiere is listed as one of his best operas. I shall look around for more of his work and ban Bartoli and Mozart from my mind while listening! Somebody accused me of classifying any music, except Wagner, as Mozartian! 

[Mozart]

Hey Guys


There was a tv performance of it with Antonacci, I've seen some on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/XE-8E6btUPg

I find the music pretty boring...I mean its not awful but not exciting either. Fine if youre not expecting much.


I've a video of barbiere but havent seen it. Anything must be better than Rossini's trash.

[Anne]

 Anything must be better than Rossini's trash.

Have you heard Rossini's Semiramide?  It's my favorite of all his operas.  I have a video of it with June Anderson, Marilyn Horne, and Sam Ramey.  That opera was only able to be staged because Marilyn Horne kindly agreed to learn the part.  At another opera web site, posters were asked their favorite Rossini opera and many people said Semiramide.

I'd be curious to know what favorites people here have of Rossini.

[Mozart]

I've not seen it yet, but I've heard an aria from it. I've heard 3 Rossini operas and it sounds like he wrote the same exact music 3 times. After about 20 minutes I can't take anymore!

[Anne]

I agree his comedies sound similar.  Semiramide is definitely not a comedy.  In the beginning of the opera the soprano and mezzo sing a very  pretty duet.  The opera was out on video tape and I bought it only to discover it had no subtitles at all.  I was new to opera and did not have even a synopsis of it.

Finally in frustration I called the phone # in the catalogue, explained my situation, and asked the lady who answered the phone if she would please give me a little synopsis so I could have something to go on while watching the video.  I never forgot that and always think of that woman with gratitude.  Sam Ramey sings a beautiful bass aria also. 

I don't know if this helps but it is the best I can do.  Maybe YouTube or amazon might have something to listen to.  I'll see what I can find.

[The new erato]

I confess to not knowing Rossinis serious operas, but I do think his comic ones sound like he wrote the same stuff all over. In addition I find the jokes decidedly tiring and unfunny. The short of it - I have never warmed to Rossini enough to do a serious attempt to enjoy him. Maybe I should, but life's too full of Simonsens, Hurums and Weinbergs to convince me that I should set the necessary time aside.

[Anne]

I agree.  I could live forever without Rossini's comedy.  You would not be sorry to spend some time on "Semiramide."  I was on the Metropolitan opera site and someone asked, "Which Rossini opera do you like best?"  Just about everyone "Semiramide" the best.  Sam Ramey has included arias from that opera on his aria disks.  I don't know about you but I sometimes find the length of time between terrific operas gets longer and longer the more that I learn new ones.

[Sarastro]

That opera was only able to be staged because Marilyn Horne kindly agreed to learn the part. 

Well, Horne had kindly agreed to learn the role back in sixties to sing it with Sutherland at Chicago Lyric Opera, and the Met staging took place in the nineties...

As for Rossini, I think it is important to know the libretto quite well because the jokes in another language, if you don't understand it, will not sound funny. For a long time Il Barbiere di Siviglia seemed quite boring to me unless I carefully read the libretto... now it's sheer fun as well as La Cenerentola. And although Rossini is known for his comic operas, he had quite a few of serious dramatic ones, like Otello, Guillaume Tell, Semiramide, Zelmira, Le Siège de Corinthe, Mosè in Egitto, La gazza ladra, Tancredi, and may more.

Indeed, he recycled his own music, and as far as I know was a bit lazy with his orchestration (not to say he recycled music due to laziness as well ), but even with that you can hear the genius of joy or grief in his music and fireworks of refined coloratura.