A Nineteenth-Century Masked Ball for Debutants

Mundoclasico.com miércoles, 20 de abril de 2005

REINO UNIDO A nineteenth-century masked ball for debutants

EMANUELE SENICI

After an incandescent rendition of the duet between London, martes, Amelia and Riccardo in Act 2 of this new production of 12 de abril de Un ballo in maschera, the Covent Garden public exploded 2005. Royal Opera House, with cheers and shouts, finally able to release the tension Covent Garden. which had built across the musical number and had Giuseppe Verdi, Un ballo in become almost unbearable by the end of it. After this maschera. Mario release of tension, I had a sense that the performance had Martone, director. found its firm footing, that the level of musical excellence Sergio Tramonti, set designer. Bruno Schwengl, costumes. Cesare Accetta, and expressive intensity of this number would be sustained lighting. Giovan Battista Parodi (Samuel), for the rest of the evening. Matthew Rose (Tom), Camilla Tilling (Oscar), Marcelo Alvarez (Riccardo), Thomas Hampson (Renato), Andrew Musically, this was indeed a very satisfying performance. Kennedy (Judge), Elisabetta Fiorillo After a first act during which singers and orchestra seemed (Ulrica), Jared Holt (Silvano), Karita Mattila (Amelia), Neil Gillespie (Amelia’s still to be searching for their top form, everything fell into Servant). Orchestra and Chorus of the place in Act 2. Pappano’s combination of tight control and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. great flexibility yielded many revealing insights, and kept Renato Balsadonna, chorus director. the emotional temperature high throughout. Take the Antonio Pappano, conductor. orchestral introduction to Ulrica’s aria: the fortissimo chords made me jump on my seat not only because they were very sharp and very loud, but, perhaps more important, because Pappano delivered them not exactly when they were expected, but a little early or a little late: it was this element of unexpectedness, of surprise, that contributed most to their emotional impact. The accompaniment to Sam’s, Tom’s and Renato’s march-like outburst in Act 3 scene 1 -the double basses and then the cellos strumming away like a huge guitar- was delivered with fearless vulgarity, and it dawned on me while I listened to it that vulgarity is precisely what Verdi wants here, to accompany the cliché-ridden delusional anticipation of a wrong-headed revenge.

Most of the singers delivered impressive performances, especially the three main principals, all debuting in their respective roles. The only exception was the disappointing 'Ulrica' of Elisabetta Fiorillo. She takes her (admittedly very strong) chest voice as high up as it will possibly go, with two inevitable negative result: first, the switch to the different kind of vocal production required higher up is very obvious and unpleasantly abrupt; second, what is gained at the bottom is lost at the top, which is unfocussed and marred by such a wide vibrato that pitch is guessed rather than really perceived. I have never heard such a loud bottom G on Ulrica’s final “Silenzio!”, but if these are the consequences, I’d rather leave it. Camilla Tilling’s 'Oscar' was accurate and pretty, but not truly exciting: she surely cut a very convincing figure in her military uniform, though, and acted forcefully. Giovan Battista Parodi and Matthew Rose were suitably menacing conspirators, and Jared Holt stood out among the comprimari as a particularly persuasive 'Silvano'.

Renato’s tessitura is truly cruel, and not even a lyric baritone such as Thomas Hampson was entirely at ease with it; but his was a fully committed and emotionally powerful performance, only occasionally a tad too close to histrionics for my taste. If he trusts the vocal line a little more, he will become a wonderful 'Renato'.

Marcelo Alvarez, like Hampson singing Ballo for the first time, has never sounded better: his voice is obviously changing, filling out and acquiring darker colours, and therefore is now ideally suited to the role of Riccardo. Under Pappano’s firm guidance, he steered clear of some of the excessively ‘veristic’ inflections of his recent Covent Garden Luisa Miller, Lucia di Lammermoor and Werther, and was able to infuse his performance with great emotional truth while always remaining committed to musical values. His Act 3 aria was met with an ovation.

The loudest cheers, however, were reserved for Karita Mattila’s ‘Morrò, ma prima in grazia’, an unforgettable moment, almost unbearable in its intensity. While up to her Act 2 aria she had sounded a little cautious at times, the duet with Alvarez seemed to free her of any residual reserve, and she abandoned herself to Amelia’s music and emotions. ‘Abandon’ seems the term that describes Mattila’s performance best, since it conveys the electrifying sense that this wonderful artist is giving her all, is somehow possessed by her character and her music. A riveting performance, and a most auspicious debut.

I have avoided Mario Martone’s production until now because, frankly, I am not sure what to think of it. The action takes place in mid-nineteenth-century Boston, and obviously uses the American setting of the opera. While I have no strong feelings on the Stockholm vs. Boston debate, I am convinced that this opera puts on stage nineteenth-century characters, people who behave and feel according to nineteenth-century conceptions of subjectivity and emotions, and therefore I agree in principle with Martone’s choice. Also, growing up operatically in Italy meant growing up with the Boston version -the Swedish one is never performed there- so I was doubly at home. I am not sure, however, that Martone brought his ideas to fruition in the most convincing way. One puzzling moment: why does Riccardo’s scena ed aria in Act 3 take place on a completely empty stage, with a huge mirror at the back that reflects the auditorium back to the audience? I was instantly reminded of Hans Neuenfels’ famous Frankfurt Aida of 1981, but here there seemed to be none of the social critique of that production. One convincing moment: the little dance of ecstasy that Riccardo and Amelia perform during the cabaletta of their duet, circling around each other, drunk with happiness, anticipation and desire. I could list several moments that I found either puzzling or convincing, but I don’t seem to be able to bring these alternating feelings together into a coherent opinion on the production. The audience seemed similarly split, since at their curtain call the members of the production team were greeted with a mixture of boos and bravos. (Only bravos for all the others, with loud and prolonged ovations for Mattila, Alvarez and Pappano).

Perhaps this is precisely the problem. This production feels like a collection of moments, some good, some bad. What is missing is that elusive but absolutely essential element, sustained theatrical rhythm. The rather generic acting seen on stage (with the notable exceptions of Hampson and especially Mattila) certainly didn’t help -and surely the director could have given the principals more help in this respect. But convincing acting is only one of the ingredients necessary in order to build and sustain large-scale theatrical rhythm. The musical contribution in general was surely not a problem in this sense. So what was the problem? Too many changes of costumes? of colours? of ambiences and shapes seen on stage? Probably a mixture of all these factors. In the end, it meant that this production doesn’t really work as a whole. Thankfully, the musical part certainly does work, and gives true pleasure and excitement. I know that I will cherish the memory of Mattila’s ‘Morrò’ for a long time.