Marco Spada, Ballet by P. Lacotte
Marco Spada is a ballet that tells the tale of a supposed Italian aristocrat who has led a double life as a brigand. Originally written as an opera by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, a French composer who was noted in the 19th century for his use of the comic operatic technique of scoring for both spoken as well as sung passages, Marco Spada was subsequently turned into a ballet. This staging at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome features the orchestra, corps de ballet and principal dancers of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
When it was first staged in its operatic form, Marco Spada ran for two years. Its premiere was held on 21 December 1852 at the Deuxième Salle Favart in Paris. After that, it was choreographed by Joseph Mazilier and its debut performance as a ballet subsequently took place in 1857 at the Paris Opera. Well over a century later, Marco Spada would return to the stage as a ballet. In a new version choreographed by Pierre Lacotte, Rudolf Nureyev took on the title role at the Rome Opera in 1981. Since then, only one other version of the ballet has been staged, again choreographed by Lacotte. This production was for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow where it premiered on 8 November 2013.
This version of Marco Spada features Lacotte's choreography with additional work and restaging by Anne Salmon and Gil Isoart. The format – six scenes in three acts – remains the same. The story begins when Prince Osorio, the governor of Rome, plans a journey to the Adriatic through Romagna with his niece, the Marchesa Sampietri, and his aide Pepinelli. There are brigands in the area, however, including the notorious Marco Spada.
All appears to be going well, though, when Angela, the daughter of the Baron de Torrida, a local nobleman, hosts the group. What they, Angela included, don't know is that the Baron is, in fact, Marco Spada. When Angela and her long-lost love, Fédérici, find out about the Baron's double identity, they are forced into making a decision about their future together. Fédérici goes on to announce his engagement to the Marchesa Sampietri but events take an unexpected turn after Marco Spada gets into a skirmish with the authorities.
With an accomplished overture and some spellbinding choreography that has continued to entertain audiences long after the music for it was written, Marco Spada's welcome return to the Roman stage offers the chance to witness a lesser-known ballet with all of its plot machinations and banditry.