Rockwell Blake "D'ogni più sacro impegno" (L'occasione fa il ladro). 1996

Pesaro 1996, Conte Alberto (Rockwell Blake); regia di Jean Pierre Ponnelle, direttore Maurizio Benini There's some confusion regarding the premiere of this production at ROF 1987. Rockwell Blake didn't sing there. Raul Giménez sang the role. There's a full audio recording available. Admittedly, it's rather dull. As for the role of Martino, in my opinion, Roberto Coviello was one of the first to play this role best. He's very realistic on stage and yet always maintains an air of theatricality. I generally consider him a phenomenal personality. As for the lead female role, Luciana Serra is an actress I also admire. I consider many of her soprano arias to be exemplary. She's also a very vibrant comedic actress. But Rockwell Blake found a zest in this role that, for some reason, others missed. He delivers the final note of his aria so unrealistically that it until now a "Wow!" impression. In my opinion, this opera is a bit unevenly constructed, and the romantic plot ends up feeling dull, and Rockwell Blake tried to balance it out. Story really starts with a thunderstorm, then some very interesting, adventurous intrigues, and the romantic plot fades into the background. But not with Rockwell Blake! He adds a touch of sarcasm and his phenomenal vocal abilities to this romanticism.