B'Rock Orchestra & René Jacobs
Two married women, an overconfident seducer, and a game in which the roles shift faster than he can keep up: Salieri’s Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle (1799), rooted in the Italian opera buffa tradition. Short scenes, sharply timed ensembles, and refined contrapuntal writing keep the intrigue in constant motion, with humour and elegance.
The figure of Falstaff, known from Shakespeare and later also from Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, appears in Salieri’s hands in a lighter guise, where play and cunning take centre stage.
That René Jacobs takes on this work is telling. With his keen sense of text, timing, and dramatic tension, he reveals precisely the vitality that makes this music sparkle. B’Rock and the Choeur de Chambre de Namur help shape a performance that rekindles the theatrical fire of this score.