OK, it's not actually a Halloween costume, but this would have looked fantastic in New York's annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade! I didn't attend, but I did see highlights on the TV news. None of the costumes I saw, some of which were indeed very imaginative and glamorous, could possibly top this one. This is from a performance of Mitridate, re di Ponto, not the (somewhat) familar opera by Mozart done recently at Covent Garden, but a real rarity by Niccolò Porpora, staged at La Fenice earlier this month. It is the first staging of the opera since 1736. The costume, worn by tenor Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani in the title role, was designed by Massimo Gasparon, who directed the production.
I suppose in this day of modernistic, updated stagings (only a few which actually work), we should be grateful that Mr. Zorzi Gustiniani wasn't forced to wear a leather jacket. But, as I've said before, I've become more sensitive than usual to issues of performer safety and comfort, and I wonder if a costume that seems so heavy and unwieldy, with a train that makes Angela Gheorghiu's Met Opening Night and film Tosca gown look miniscule, was such a good idea. However, it might be easier to handle than it looks - costume designers know a lot of tricks for things like this.
If you read Italian (I don't, really), here is a link to site Opera Click for a review and background to the opera, as well as more spectacular costumes.
Thanks to my friend Jean Peccei, who put the picture as the "Front Page Photo" on the Yahoo! Group Opera World, which she moderates with such distinction, as a Halloween gift. However, by the time you read this, the picture will probably have changed.
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