Parma - Strike Up the Band

Someone in the Commune di Parma had the bright idea of turning an abandoned sugar factory into a concert hall - eccola Auditorium Paganini Though not in the centre of town its a pleasant 10 minute walk from the Duomo. The sound - from where I was sitting in the front row (more about that later)- was exceptional, a bit of a surprise given the glass and brick construction and high ceiling.
Every Sunday morning during the Verdi Festival there's a free Military Band concert. October 28th it was the Banda Musicale dell'Aernotica Militare (Air Force Band) under a very distinguished looking Partizio Esposito. They gave us an hour of arrangements of Verdi - Forza, Luisa Miller, Nabucco and the Aida Triumphal March plus an encore of Rhapsody Espanol.

When I arrived at 10:50 it looked like there was no way I would get in: there was a crowd of people waiting to be seated and the auditorium looked full. But I decided what the heck and joined the crowd - in true Italian fashion elbowing my way towards the front; and no is wasn't me that knocked that little old lady over - honest. A very attractive but harried young lady finally admitted in groups of 14 and lead us all down to the front two rows - for some reason they had been set aside for latecomers. By the way that accounts for the crotch-level shots of the band - honest.

It was a fun way to spend the morning and I actually got to practice my Italian with a few of the people around me.

The park around the Auditorium is a pleasant green space; the fountains and pool were constructed using the old holding tanks from the factory. Even on a chilly morning there were local families strolling and children playing in the park.

Its an brilliant use of an old facility renovated to serve the community.

(photos taken) 28 ottobre - SS Simone e Guida

Oberto, conte di....What???

‘There’s a barrel-organ playing somewhere in a London street;
Though the music’s only Verdi yet the melody is sweet….’
Alfred Noyes – circ 1910.

"only Verdi" !!!!!!! In four years the Verdi Festival in Parma has grown into a month long city-wide celebration; expanded from one to three (sold out) operas, lectures, fringe events, orchestral and choral concerts (this year including a Muti-conducted Requiem) and free military band concerts. And it seems that after some calendar wandering October (Verdi’s birth month) has been settled on as a good time of year to celebrate Emilio Reggio’s beloved son. Already next year’s dates, if not repertoire, have been announced.


After Opera Chic’s impassioned account of the La Traviata I had hoped to see it but in the time between checking for tickets and the train schedule (I am establishing a love-hate relationship with the TrenItalia website) the one seat left was snapped up. Fortunately I had booked the tickets for the sold-out Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio in August. Aside from the fact that it was Verdi’s first opera (1839) and very seldom performed, the big attraction was the venue: the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Bussetto. Only six miles from where Verdi was born and lived his final years, the Teatro is a 19th century Italian opera house in miniature. Opened in 1868 it seats approximately 300 people in the standard horseshoe arrangement of poltroni or armchairs, three tiers of palci or boxes (all occupied by American and British tour groups it seems) and a gallery. I had managed to get two poltroni on the aisle half way back for the last performance. How I ended up on the aisle in the second row is a long story involving returning a ticket, the charming (okay hot-looking) young man who bought it and was separated from his charming (okay hot-looking) friend and my offer to let them sit together – such a kindly old gentleman. It may not have been the best vantage point to view the performance but it was great for watching the (highly-watchable) conductor Antonello Allemandi. He obviously loves the music and the music-making.

Oberto is a young man’s opera – imitation Donizetti in many ways – but in one or two of the duets (baritone-soprano; mezzo-soprano) and finale ensembles you can see later Verdi. And much of the music is great fun if not great music but it does put real demands on the four principals. I could have imagined the old London label recording this with Sutherland, Verrett, Bergonzi and Milnes with Solti conducting. And though Allemandi lead an exciting – if raw – performance, sadly none of the singers engaged by Parma were anywhere near that class of performer.

In the case of Irene Cerboncini (Leonora) the only reason I can think she was hired was because she expressed a willingness to learn the role. Most of the time she was flat and her ornamentation was smudge and approximated. Mariana Pentcheva (Cuniza) managed much of her music well but was done in by director-designer Pier’Alli dressing her in variations on the Queen of Hearts from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland – not the most flattering style for a woman of healthy figure. Also healthy of figure was tenor Fabio Sartori; he’s of the fire-plug school physically and the “Sing out Luigi” school musically. A big, unsubtle sound, at its best it was exciting, at its worst ear-numbing. Bass-baritone Paolo Battaglia snarled and glowered effectively as the Oberto in a generalized way. The chorus of the Teatro Regio were in great form and went through the paces set out for them by director-designer Pier’Alli’s effectively.

Though Alli’s designs – 19th rather than 13th century – were attractive and set changes swift, his direction was basically tableaux vivants for the chorus and 19th century melodrama poses for his principles. The problem with that is that you have to get from one pose to another and since none of his singers were schooled in that manner of acting it appeared disjointed and at times ludicrous. And his use of mimes to fill the lower proscenium palchi seemed a rather useless waste of seating in an already small house.


So was it worth the 4 hour train ride to Parma and the 50 kilometer taxi trip to Bussetto and back (the return in dense ground fog)? Yep, sure as hell was. It may not have been a great performance but, for me at least, it was a memorable one. The chance to hear Oberto, the venue and the whole Festival atmosphere - the experience was definitely "worth the detour."

03 novembre - Santa Silvia

Here's the Damned Ham!

In that gentile lady-like manner of hers, Doralong (What Would Jackie Wear) has been asking about Parma Ham. Myself I find this obsession with porcine flesh a trifle... well unnatural but who am I to judge. But she's right you can't go to Parma and not think of ham.

The centre of Parma is an area for pedestrians and bicyclists and after a long walk around the historic centre I was building up an appetite. I contemplated one of the ristorante in the Piazza in front of the Town Hall but it just seemed so "touristy" - I can be a real snob that way. I headed down a small alley and in a piazza off the Strada Garibaldi came across a tent offering "VerdiTaste." I'd noticed that, unlike their counterparts in Salzburg with Mozart, merchants in Parma were marketing the Verdi Festival in a tasteful way - posters, costumes from previous productions, books, scores. There wasn't a single "'Joe Green Reigns In Parma" t-shirt in sight. And here was this place offering things like the "Aida" or "Otello" platter however the displays of ham, sausage, cheese wheels and chestnuts (its chestnut season here) were so damned appealing - and the guy slicing the meat (you should excuse the expression) was cute - hey I'm old and married not dead and buried!

So I ordered the "Aida" (culatello, dried garlic sausage, a large piece of well-aged Parmesan and fresh bread) and a glass of a local red, grabbed a stool at a bar style round table and tucked in.

Let me tell you about culatello or rather click on the link where it is better explained than I every could. But what I will tell you is that it is the best ham I have ever eaten in my life. It seemed to literally melt away with a lovely salty-sweet after taste. With the aged cheese, garlicy sausage and rough but pleasant local wine it was a more than satisfying lunch.

The tent (turns out its a family run operation in town - they set up there for the Festival) started to fill up with both tourists and locals - a few taking away orders of culatello at EU 54 a kilo. I ordered a second glass of wine from the striking looking Nonna of the family - one of those woman who has gotten more beautiful as she's aged. I noticed as well as waiting on tables and tending bar Nonna was not beyond having a little nip every once and a while just to make sure the bottle she had just opened was a good one.

The whole atmosphere was festive (Nabucco playing in the background), rustic (the tent, wooden floor, bar seating) and sophisticated (products beautifully displayed, greenery and the Teatro Reggio backdrop.) It was completely in the spirit of Parma celebrating Verdi. And it totally spoiled me for any other type of ham!

30 ottobre - San Alfonso

A Dilemma

Well tonight is treatment number 3 and Reese has walked around a bit today and eaten a bit. He seems more aware and more lively, but again we are being cautious and not betting on anything yet. And we've found ourselves in a dilemma.

Back in July Opera Chic allerted us to the Verdi Festival in Parma - and I was intrigued by the thought of seeing Verdi's first opera Oberto, particularly in the tiny Teatro Verdi in Bussetto (photo left). So being the far thinking person I am, I reserved tickets for a performance on October 27.

For some reason I kept putting off booking a hotel - first we had to find one that would take pets; then we had to check the regulations on Italian Trains for carrying small animals just in case the paper work on the car hadn't been worked out; when the papers came through and train travel seemed a bit too complicated we decided to drive; so we bought a TomTom GPS as everyone said that was a necessity when driving in Italy; then we discovered all we had to do was hit the A1 Autrostrade di Sol and head north - though the TomTom will be required for other trips. And I still hadn't reserved a hotel - just kept putting it off.

Then, as I have been reporting the past week or so, our Budfordshire (don't look it up, its a made-up word) Reese took very sick and has been undergoing treatment. So what's the dilemma? Well we figure we have four options this weekend:

1. Go as planned (there are hotels that accept dogs still available) and take Reese with us.
2. Go as planned and leave him with our good friend and Laurent's colleague Linda who is more than happy to look after him at her country place outside Rome.
3. I go as planned (I'm the opera freak in the family) and Laurent stays at home and attends to Reese.
4. We just cut our loses - the not inexpensive tickets are non-refundable - and cancel the whole damned thing.

I'm not sure the either option 1 or 2 would be the best thing for Reese and he is, after all, our main concern. At a hotel the incontinence could be a major problem and he would be in a strange place. And not that Linda wouldn't look after him - she loves animals and has already been a great help in finding a vet amongst so many other things, but he would be in a strange place with strangers when he's still sick.

Going alone is not a particularly appealing prospect and to be quite frank its going to cost a fair bit in train fare and hotel - it appears there is no such thing as a single room, Europe is no longer a place that caters to the single traveller the way it did when I first came here in 1968. So though we've pretty much decided on option 3 it may just end up being option 4 - there will be other Verdi Festivals.

I hate dilemmas - even ones as trivial as this one!

25 ottobre - Santa Daria