Puccini – La Rondine
Paris Châtelet, July 7 2005 Production: Nicolas Joël. Sets: Ezio Frigerio. Costumes: Franca Squarciapino. Conductor: Marco Armiliato. Madga de Civry: Katie Van Kooten. Lisette: Annamaria dell'Oste. Ruggero Lastouc: Giuseppe Filianoti. Prunier: Marius Brenciu. Rambaldo Fernandez: Alberto Rinaldi. Suzy: Elsa Maurus. Yvette: Oriana Kurteshi. Bianca: Nicole Fournié. Périchaud: Frédéric Caton. Gobin: Jean-Pierre Lautré. Crébillon: Thierry Félix. Majordomo: Thierry Vincent. Orchestra and Chorus of the Capitole de Toulouse. (Photo from the Metropolitan Opera) Puccini is not a favourite of mine and I suspect I’d have given La Rondine a miss had Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu not been in the cast to ensure that this curiosity would be worth hearing. In the event, “Rototo,” as he’s known to local opera gossips, dropped out months ago, and “Glouglou” didn’t appear at rehearsals last week. I was aware of this, and spent an entertaining half hour positioned strategically behind the Châ...