Lo Speziale

SYNOPSIS
A typical piazza in Venice, on it a pharmacy. Like all tutors the old apothecary Sempronio has set his mind to marrying his young and attractive pupil Grilletta. But she is courted as well by two other suitors: the poor Mengone, who only works for the apothecary to be near her, and the rich and selfconscious dandy Volpino. In accordance with the genre there is a fine lieto, a happy ending. Mengone gets Grilletta. Or to put it more accurately: Grilletta gets the man she wants, Mengone. This little treasure, one of Haydn’s 16 Italian opera’s, is rarely performed.

ARTISTIC CONCEPT
In this production by Eva Buchmann, director, and Jan their goal: the audience close to the singers/performers Willem de Vriend, musical director, we leave Venice. The action takes place ‘on the road’. The pharmacy literally has become ambulant. It is built-in into a Fiat 500. The cinque cento - the world famous fifties icon of the Italian car industry. This triumphant car is a perfect vehicle in the hands of the director to enhance the comic effect of the eternal fight of several men over one woman.

Jan Willem de Vriend is a great expert in 18th century music and opera performance practice. Since Haydn’s work is not complete, he has revised it by adding a selection of surprising music from Haydn and his time.

In their longstanding collaboration Buchmann and De Vriend have developed an opera style that enthusiastically involves the audience. They know how to create an intelligent interaction between the singers/performers and the musicians, which in turn invites the audience to freely react to or ‘interact’ with the performance. That is why they not only work in the traditional venues with a proscenium stage, but also site specific, in a hotel or church or in the open, all fresco. Wherever they perform their show they adapt the set in such a way that they realise their goal: the audience close to the singers/performers and musicians, sharing the same space, in which one freely switches from the most intense concentration to sharing a drink, as the action unfolds. This intimacy is essential in their work and it requires great performance qualities from the singers. Their closeness to the spectators does not allow anything but authenticity.

The informal atmosphere, thus created, most certainly resembles the 18th century performance practice more than the practice of most big opera houses today. But there is a big difference as well: a spectator of today is not addressed well when the performers’ histrionic capacity consists of stylistic gestures alone, as Lo speziale
Dramma giocoso/opera buffa in three acts by Franz Joseph Haydn, libretto by Carlo Goldo- ni.
First performed in 1768.
A Punto Arte production
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Dramma giocoso/opera buffa in three acts by Franz Joseph Haydn, libretto by Carlo Goldoni. First performed in 1768.

Musical director: Jan Willem de Vriend
Stage Director: Eva Buchmann
Set design: Eva Buchmann
Executive set designer: Pieter Veenhof/Atelier “man met de hamer” Costumes: Jorine van Beek
Dramaturgy: Ben Hurkmans Light design: Marc Heinz Producer: Jeannette Elsenburg
SYNOPSIS
Sempronio, an old apothecary bass Grilletta, Sempronio’s ward soprano Mengone, Sempronio’s apprentice tenor Volpino, a young rich dandy mezzo-soprano (breeches role) Orchestra 23 musicians

A typical piazza in Venice, on it a farmacy. Like all tutors the old apothecary Sempronio has set his mind to marrying his young and attractive pupil Grilletta. But she is courted as well by two other inamorati: the poor Mergone, who only works for the apothecary to be near her, and rich and self- conscious dandy Volpino.
In accordance with the genre there is a fine lieto, a happy end. Mergone gets Grilletta. Or to put it more rightly: Grilletta gets the man she wants, Mergone.
This little treasure, one of Haydn’s 16 Italian opera’s, is rarely performed.


ARTISTIC CONCEPT
In this production by Eva Buchmann, director, and Jan Willem de Vriend, musical director, we left Venice.
The action takes place ‘on the road’. The apothecary literally has become ambulant. It is built-in in a Fiat 500. The cinque cento - the world famous fifties icon of Italian car industry. This triumphant car is a perfect vehicle in the hands of the director to enhance the comic effect of the eternal fight of several men over one woman.
Jan Willem de Vriend is a great expert in 18th century music and opera performance practice. Since Haydn’s work is
not complete, he made a revision by adding a selection of surprising music from Haydn and his time.
In their longstanding collaboration Buchmann and De Vriend have developed an opera style that enthusiastically involves the audience. They know how to create an intelligent interaction between the singers/performers and the musicians, which in turn invites the audience to freely react to or ‘interact’ with the performance.
That is why they not only work in the traditional venues with a proscenium stage, but also site specific, in a hotel
or church or in the open, all fresco. Wherever they perform their show they adapt the set in such a way that they realise
their goal: the audience close to the singers/performers and musicians, sharing the same space, in which one freely switches from the most intense concentration to sharing a drink, as the action unfolds.
This intimacy is essential in their work and it requires great performance qualities from the singers. Their closeness to the spectators does not allow anything but authenticity.
The informal atmosphere, thus created, most certainly resembles the 18th century performance practice more than the practice of most big opera houses today.
But there is a big difference as well: the audience of today
is not addressed well when the performers’ histrionic capacity consists of stylistic gestures alone, as in the time
of Esterhazy and Haydn. The audience has internalized
Freud and all the psychological rim ram of last century.
Any spectator of today can only experience authenticity
in a stage character when it has the complexity, the inner contradictions, that he/she experiences in him/herself and in others every day.
Eva Buchmann has her way with singers to become authentic in this more complex way. At the same time she never loses her sense of entertainment.
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PLAYING LIST
2017/2018
Dutch Tour
Kölner Philharmonie
Luxemburg
with Kölner Kammerorchester
Zürcher Tonhalle, with Zürcher Tonhalle Orchester on the celebration of 150-year anniversary
Barcelona
with Orchester Nacional dy Catalunya
2019/2020
5/6 December: Frankfurt, Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks


PRODUCT INFO
Punto Arte brings in the conductor,
director,
stage manager,
1 technician,
1 light designer, light design, transport.
Specifications concerning
FIAT 500 LO SPEZIALE
Netto weight: 500kg
Additional weight fluids (lemonade, showering water): max 30kg Width: 1323 CM
Length: 2970 CM Height: 1525 CM
Electrics:
Car battery 12volt max 50ah
Plug and play 220v max 16 ampere
Not accounted for: Additional weight props and additional weight persons

MORE INFO?
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The first to rediscover Lo Speziale for our time was Gustav Mahler, as musical director at the opera of Vienna in 1899. Carlo Goldoni originally wrote Lo Speziale for two now completely forgotten composers as a dramma giocoso to be performed during the Venetian Carnavale in 1755.
READ Haydn wrote his music on a strongly abbreviated version of
invested in Grilletta’s idea, not out of genuine interest, but simply because he can’t refuse her anything. He would rather have stayed afoot on his piazza in Venice to read his daily paper more comfortably.
The cinque cento, tiny as it is, under Mengone’s able hands has turned into a miracle on wheels. Amongst many other utilities, he has managed to create a bathtub in it and a cocktail bar – he certainly knows how to please his secret fiancée Grilletta!
It gradually becomes clear that the cinque cento is no less than a 5th character in the performance, a creation by Grilletta, helping her to get what she wants: a life on her own without her tutor and with Mengone.
No wonder that Volpino, the suitor/dandy, angry when finding out he has definitely lost this fight, attacks the innocent little car, wants to destroy it.
Grilletta is a strong woman indeed. She pulls the strings. And off she goes with Mengone, in their home and business on wheels.
The prince of Esterhazy would be much entertained.
MORE
this original. But fortunately all the elements typical of the opera buffa were saved. The libretto has all the freshness of Goldoni, his fine drawing of the four (out of seven) remaining characters, his lively dialogues, his great and unmistakable sense of the comic. And there are the dress up parties
as notaries and as Turks, and the Schadenfreude about Sempronio’s manic reaction to travelling.
The music by Haydn counterpoints every part of the action; it changes time and again in rhythm, tempo and dynamics. And it is very demanding for the singers, who must be very good performers as well, to deliver the quality of this little treasure to the fullest.
The idea for the ambulant apothecary stems, as the audience may guess, from Grilletta. But Mengone has executed it very cleverly for reasons of his own, because he clearly is more of a mechanic than interested in medicines, perfumes and the lot. Sempronio has gone along with and
in the time of Esterhazy and Haydn. The audience has internalised Freud and all the psychological insights of last century. Spectators today can only experience authenticity in a stage character when it has the complexity, the inner contradictions, that they experience in themselves and in others every day. Eva Buchmann has the way with singers to become authentic in this more complex approach. At the same time she never loses her sense of entertainment.