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Rossini in Two Voices Pesaro
Teatro Rossini
08/14/2026 -
Gioachino Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia: “Largo al factotum” & “A un dottor della mia sorte” – La Cenerentola: “Come un’ape ne’ giorni d’aprile”, “Sia qualunque delle figlie” & “Un segreto d’importanza” – La cambiale di matrimonio: “Grazie... grazie... Troppo presto” & “Dite presto, dove sta” – Péchés de vieillesse: Volume IV. Album pour les enfants dégourdis: 5. “La Pesarese” – L’italiana in Algeri: “Ho un gran peso sulla testa” – L’inganno felice: “Una voce m’ha colpito” & “Va taluno mormorando” – Il turco in Italia: “Se ho da dirla, avrei molto piacere”
Matteo Mancini, Giuseppe Toia (baritones), Michele D’Elia (piano)
M. D’Elia, M. Mancini, G. Toia (© Ennevi Foto)
There was something particularly appropriate about the Rossini Opera Festival entrusting the opening of its 2026 Concerti di Belcanto to two young baritones who had already begun making their mark in Pesaro. Matteo Mancini and Giuseppe Toia appeared at the Teatro Rossini, accompanied by Michele D’Elia, in a recital devoted exclusively to Rossini. Both singers were also appearing in the festival’s revival of Jean‑Pierre Ponnelle’s L’occasione fa il ladro, Mancini as Don Parmenione and Toia as Martino, making the recital a welcome opportunity to hear them outside the theatrical context of that much‑loved production.
The programme was intelligently conceived. Rather than offering the predictable sequence of Rossinian favourites, it ranged across the composer’s career, from La cambiale di matrimonio and L’inganno felice to Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, L’italiana in Algeri and Il turco in Italia. There was even room for “La Pesarese”, from the Péchés de vieillesse, allowing D’Elia a brief solo appearance. The programme alternated familiar comic numbers with less frequently heard pieces, and included several duets in which the two baritones could test their ability to function as a theatrical partnership.
Mancini brought a bright, youthful baritone well suited to the quicksilver demands of Rossini’s comic writing. His Figaro in “Largo al factotum” was shaped as a character study as much as a display piece, animated by verbal energy and theatrical instinct. The lightness of his instrument proved effective in passages requiring agility and rapid shifts of emphasis.
Toia offered a darker, weightier baritone that brought particular authority to the lower‑lying comic writing. His festival appearances had already included Martino in L’occasione fa il ladro and Don Profondo in Il viaggio a Reims, and this recital confirmed a growing assurance and individuality.
The contrast between the two voices was one of the recital’s main strengths. Rossini’s comedy depends on interaction, and the duets from La Cenerentola and La cambiale di matrimonio highlighted their responsiveness. “Un segreto d’importanza” in particular showed how rhythmic precision and ensemble interplay generate comedy more effectively than stage exaggeration.
The programme also illustrated the development of Rossini’s comic style. La cambiale di matrimonio already displays sharply etched characters, rhythmic vitality and strong theatrical instinct, while Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola refine these traits without losing immediacy. Heard together, the excerpts made this progression clear.
Michele D’Elia was an attentive and alert accompanist. Rossini’s piano writing requires rhythmic precision, and he provided a firm yet flexible support. His contribution to “La Pesarese” offered a brief shift into the more intimate world of the Péchés de vieillesse, providing contrast with the surrounding comic numbers.
The recital’s appeal lay in its freshness and lack of pretension. Both singers avoided imposing undue weight on music that depends on spontaneity, instead emphasising clarity, precision and theatrical awareness.
In Pesaro, where Rossini’s operas form a living festival tradition, this approach felt entirely apt. Though still early in their careers, Mancini and Toia showed secure technique, stylistic understanding and a clear grasp of the link between virtuosity and comedy in Rossini.
Opening the Concerti di Belcanto with this pairing proved a judicious choice. The recital, supported by a responsive pianist and a programme drawn entirely from Rossini, demonstrated how little embellishment is needed to reveal the enduring vitality of his comic invention.
Ossama el Naggar
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