English National Opera production at the Coliseum on Wednesday night.
A thoroughly enjoyable night out.
Rigoletto: Alan Opie
The Duke: Peter Auty
Gilda: Judith Howarth
Sparafucile:Brindley Sherratt
Maddalena: Leah-Marian Jones
Monterone: Hans-Peter Scheidegger
Marullo: David Stephenson
Borsa: Scott Davies
Ceprano: Paul Reeves
Conductor: Alexander Briger
Not exactly the star-studded cast that ROH fielded last summer. But if ENO was not so close geographically to ROH, we would be raving more about the high standards of performance there. As I explained to an Opera virgin smoker, ENO are an exceptionally good Regional company.
The production was brilliant, updated to a 1950s cocktail bar and mafioso-style characters. It has been in ENO's repertory since 1982, devised by Jonathan Miller. There was nothing in it that 'didn't work' and despite the updating, nothing that was inconsistent with the story as portrayed in traditional productions.
As in customary at ENO, it was sung in English. For the first time, they have a surtitle screen, which I believe to be a Good Thing. Officially, the surtitles are not launched until their next production Vaughan-Williams' Sir John in Love, and I did notice a few teething troubles, as the screen leaped ahead of the singing, or when there were small differences between the two scripts. But overall, not distracting, and an assistance to comprehension, although I would agree they were unnecessary for Alan Opie's superb diction.
I found the orchestra only mediocre. I did not notice them doing anything wrong, but it seemed one of their less inspired performances, a routine interpretation, bordering on the lack-lustre, but fortunately, nothing can destroy the music of Verdi. Rigoletto is a superb example of Verdi's most lyrical music at its best.
The star of the show was Alan Opie. Not a beautiful voice, but I don't think the role demands a beautiful voice. His portrayal of the hunchback jester bartender crossed the floodlights and grabbed the audience. To me a good Rigoletto is one who captures my sympathy, even though I know that he is not meant to be that sympathetic a character. And he, along with Verdi's poignant music, elevated me to tears at the end.
Peter Auty seemed to be playing the Duke as a caricature. Some bits were genuinely funny, especially the almost obsessive combing of his quiff, Fonz-style, but I felt that he was repeating a set of stage directions, and doing that well, rather than acting the role. It was difficult to believe he was a Great Seducer, certainly lacking in charisma, and thus it was difficult to understand why Gilda was besotted with him. I do not care for his voice. I could not fault him on technique or musical interpretation, and when he approached certain higher notes from just below pitch, I thought it was rational rather than random. But I felt that his voice was hollow; the Duke of Mantua is a lyric tenor role, and he lacked the lyricism. This was especially notable in the Bella Figlia Dell'Amore, which is a stunningly gorgeous quartet.
Gilda was sung by Judith Howarth who has a beautiful voice, despite a bit of squalliness towards the top. Her Caro Nome was - notwithstanding the ill-manners of the stupid ignorant rude sitting near me - a piece of transcendent beauty, in Bella Figlia Dell'Amore she was gorgeous. I thought her portrayal of Gilda was a bit two-dimensional and internalised, rather than projected to the audience; on the other hand, the character isn't complex and probably doesn't have much of a third dimension. She did expand the characterisation in the Final Act. I will forgive her the mediocre acting for the stunning musical delivery.
Special mention should go to Leah-Marian Jones as Maddalena. Only a small part but she has a gorgeous rich deep mezzo voice and a bubbly stage presence.
The musical highlights have already been mentioned. When the opening chords for La donna e mobile struck up, there was a rustle in the audience of 'I know this one'. It really is a fabulous tune. The trouble is, with tunes that everybody knows, it is because so many great and very good singers have recorded them, which just leaves the mediocre voice you hear live sound, well, mediocre.
As I explained to the smoking opera-newbie I enjoyed myself very much, even though it was a less then top drawer performance. It's nice when one does get a breathtakingly stunning performance, but they must not turn us into perfectionists and spoil an enjoyable evening at a brilliant opera performed well.
