Beatrice Venezi’s direction stands out, without a shadow of a doubt, as the most consistent and meticulously crafted element of the entire production.
“It is only by focusing attention on the orchestra pit that the evening finds its firmest foundations. Beatrice Venezi’s conducting stands out, without a shadow of a doubt, as the most consistent and meticulously crafted element of the entire production. For whilst the stage falters and the voices waver, the baton finds its purpose. Venezi draws from the score a wealth of nuances that do not always resonate on stage: an orchestra that breathes, that strains, that emerges from internal instrumental conflicts and that reveals – as the evening progresses – a process of refinement that speaks as much of tradition as of her work with her mentors.
The new production of *Pagliacci* and *Cavalleria rusticana* at the Teatro Colón is characterised by an uncompromising aesthetic ambition: it subverts the traditional order, uses cinema as a conceptual lens and claims the right to reinterpret – or even rewrite – the codes of verismo. The result… well, the result deserves to be viewed with a critical eye… and with the other one, the one that refuses to be silenced.”.
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The baton: the true pulse of the night
“And it is only when the focus turns to the orchestra pit that the evening reaches its high point. Beatrice Venezi’s conducting stands out, without question, as the most coherent and meticulously crafted element of the entire production.
For where the scene meanders and the voices waver, the baton finds meaning. Venezi draws from the score a wealth of nuances that do not always come across on stage: an orchestra that breathes, that tenses, that emerges from internal instrumental conflicts and that reveals—as the evening unfolds—a process of refinement that speaks as much of tradition as of his work with his teachers.
It is in the pit that, at last, the drama unfolds.
Her performance is not merely a matter of going through the motions: there is an organic understanding of verismo, a way of making the theatrical and the intimate coexist, of creating atmospheres without the need for heavy-handed emphasis. As an Italian, Venezi understands that delicate balance between excess and restraint, between blood and form. And she brings it to life.
”She does know what this is all about."