Romping through the operas-on-video alphabetically, we come to Ernani, a hidden gem, and a vastly underrated opera from 1844, early in his early period.
The opening chorus tells you it's going to be gloriously tuneful. Then this gorgeous tenor appears, and you just know who's side you're going to be on! Even before he opens his mouth, you think: lie back on the sofa and purr with anticipation. Opening aria is just gorgeous! And leads into a first scene dominated by Ernani. The tessitura is quite high lying, and I suppose for those who don't like Pláci, it's an example they would give of him straining for the high notes. But I don't hear it as straining, more as a vulnerability, which I find appealing. He's looking very sexy, in tight silky breeches that emphasise the loveliness of his thighs.
The next scene is Elvira's. She is dressing in her chamber with her maids, pining for Ernani as she contemplates her pending Forced Marriage Against Her Will with her evil Guardian and Uncle, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva.
I suppose this illustrates the shortcomings of inexperienced Verdi. The systematic move from emphasising first one character then the other. Not much of interest coming from "stand and bark" Freni. No, that's unfair. she's not barking, but she's not in the best vocal condition, and while it all sounds fine to my ears in terms of pitch, rhythm etc, it's just not a particularly beautiful sound and she doesn't really sound much like a girl poised on the brink of womanhood.
Next comes Renato Bruson, a renowned Verdi Baritone, and certainly one of my favourites on record, as Don Carlo*, King of Spain He's making his advances at Elvira in a spirited lyrical duet in her bedroom. Yes, that's right, it's the 16th century and a unmarried woman, soon to be married, has a strange man in her chamber...Beautifully, he declares his love for her, displaying a splendid legato, but she rejects him despite him being King. By which time her voice has warmed up into a rich velvety tone. It's classic Verdi and tune-wise it seems to anticipate Trav and Trov.
Remember that she's a bride with a strange man in her room. Well, guess what, there's another one! Ernani's just come out of the closet, so to speak, and being a notorious bandit, his presence is upsetting the King, perhaps because he looking ravishingly sultry in the way that only a noble disguised as a bandit can, and we have a dramatic trio where the two men declare mutual hatred, each of them preening and trying to prove how macho they are to the young woman standing between them. Well, you have to applaud after that trio.
Well, here's Elvira, in her bedroom, entertaining two strange men. Guess who turns up next...yup, you've guessed it, her intended (and Guardian), Silva. Remember, she is due to marry Silva. Silva is a bass. No good can come of this, mark my words. And indeed he calls in the cavalry to witness her dishonour...no, don't get excited, she wasn't actually shagging either of them.
Silva shows us how evil he is by the clever twist of singing tenderly of his love for Elvira. If he wasn't a bass, it might be convincing. But we know he's just a dirty old man intent on turning his chattel into a breeding machine. And he needs revenge. There's not a lot he can do with the king, but swords have to be drawn, and who better to wreak it on but the bandit Ernani.
There is a lovely ensemble piece with all the male principles sounding splendid, the soprano a bit less so, one of those wonderful Verdi set pieces, with each of the four singing their separate and disparate vocal line against the background of a chorus. And the King demands Ernani is allowed to go free. Ernani is set on gaining revenge on the King whose father killed his father, the King wants to become Holy Roman Emperor, Elvira wants Ernani, and Silva wants his trophy wife
Act II. It's Elvira's wedding day in the Silva castle, great excuse for a cast of thousands to parade in the finest finery. Very easy to stage, just get the chorus to stand around singing. The tone of the opening chorus is weddingly joyful, one could imagine Gilbert & Sullivan ripping it off.
A stranger in a hoodie arrives (I kid you not...). In the tradition of hospitality, Silva offers him a bed for the night. Being opera, you know that tomorrow is another day. And our 16th century Hoodie has a beautiful tenor voice and is eminently huggable. He hears that Elvira will be married in the next hour and rips off his hood, offering himself as as a sacrifice...ooh, look, it's Ernani! His aria of self-loathing turns into a trio where Elvira and Silva take pity on him, Silva offering him refuge (Ernani has been leading a revolt against the King; it failed). Did I tell you that Silva is a bass and basses are evil?
There is the most passionate and exquisite love duet. Pity this poor woman, less than an hour from her forced marriage to a bass, she is in the company of the most gorgeous tenor, letting his velvet voice purr the notes in which he declares undying love (blimey, that's a high note. Almost...). And again Silva catches them in the act. He's about to get his revenge on Ernani, when who should be announced, but the King. Ernani pleads with Silva to kill him there and then, knowing that the King will also want revenge. But Silva, being evil, says No, I'll get my revenge later.
The King wants Ernani handed over but he can't be found anywhere, so instead, the King takes Elvira as his hostage, despite Silva's heartfelt pleading for her, because she is the solace to his wretched old heart. (Yeah, right...dirty old man).
With the King and Elvira gone, Silva challenges Ernani to a duel, which Ernani refuses, because Silva is old, asking instead that Silva kills him, just as long as he can see Elvira one last time. Silva says - the King has abducted her. You fool! exclaims Ernani. The King is our rival. They decide that they have to band together to save Elvira. Ernani declares:
"At the moment when you want Ernani dead let Ernani hear the horn call and he will die at once."
He hands over his horn to Silva as the orchestral brass and drums play out the leitmotif of doom, and Ernani and Silva are pledged to each other in a duet that pre-empts the Don Carlo/Posa oath of brotherhood in 'the other' Don Carlo.
Act 3: Don Carlo is waiting at Charlemagne's tomb to find out whether is to be Holy Roman Emperor. What a beautiful aria sung so lyrically with such legato, such precise breath control, dynamics. Restrained and measured emotion.
Somewhere else in the catacombs we find Ernani and his rebels that now include Silva. They draw lots as to who is to be regicist. It's Ernani, who is overjoyed at the prospect of being able to avenge his dead father.
Don Carlo has become Emperor Charles V and decides to imprison the mob and execute the nobility, at which point Ernani "Deathwish is my middle name" reveals he is a count, Don Juan of Aragon. Elvira pops up from the catacombs and pleads to the Emperor for Ernani's life. After an exchange of glares between the blokes, Charles starts praying to Charlemagne, and suddenly decides to forgive everyone, and let Ernani and Elvira get married. Glory and Honour to Charles the Fifth. So it all ends happily ever after...
Or maybe not.
The fourth act starts with Ernani and Elvira's wedding. Following this, they are alone in the garden. It's romantic, it's tender. Plácido irresistibly oozing gorgeousness. It's just so nice that after all they have been through, finally they get peace together, and you can imagine them settling into the bliss of suburban domesticity.
But Ernani has a feeling, he senses that Silva's lurking. He sends Elvira off on a pretext of an errand, and begins brooding. A tenor brooding...oh dear...No, he convinces himself everything is going to be all right. But Silva appears, and blows the horn, hands Ernani poison and a dagger, and reminds him
"At the moment when you want Ernani dead let Ernani hear the horn call and he will die at once"
Ernani refuses, and sings most beautifully Solingo, errante, misero, leaving me to bask in that beautiful voice. If I was being really picky, I would say something about high notes, because one or two are not up to the perfection of all the rest of them, as his golden voice tenderly strokes and makes love to the music.
"So much for Spanish honour!" taunts Silva, which inflames Ernani who falls on his sword. A dramatic fall to the floor, not without rolling, of course, and dies a dramatic opera death in the arms of Elvira.
To conclude, is it a great opera? Probably not, but it is lovely, packed full of tunes. No arias that send you home humming the tunes, no arias that get included in the standard rep of show pieces. The story seems a bit complicated when written out, but it all makes sense in the performing. Is it credible? I do not really know, and I have considerable problems with the ending. I understand all this stuff about honour, and I have to accept that even though it seems tosh now, it was probably normal in the 16th century. Personally, I see nothing honourable in committing suicide on your wedding day, even before the wedding night. I just feel sorry for Elvira, although she should have got the hint a lot earlier, considering all the times she had to plead for his life.
As for this production. I'm not sure that I can say a great deal about the production. I think it was probably very static with very little action, but it was intelligently filmed mainly in close-up of the singers, mainly their faces, with few wider shots. All four principals are very camera friendly, expressive faces and body language, so that helps. The costumes are fine without being ravishing. Sets, difficult to say, because of the preponderance of close-ups. A couple of times I had a sense of massive, large scale - in Silva's study, when the King was announced (emphasises that despite being a grandee he's nothing compared to the King) and later by Charlemagne's tomb, which is immense, emphasising that a mere King of Spain is nothing compared to the legendary Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
I would say the very best thing about this is the singers. Plácido is wonderful. Not perfect, in a high-lying role, but pretty near so. I defy any red-blooded woman to watch this and not fall hopelessly in lust. Renato Bruson gives a classy vocal performance. Nicolai Ghiaurov is impressive. I feel that Mirella Freni is the weak link. I find her frustrating. In some passages her voice can sound gorgeous, and she can belt out some strong loud notes when needed to. Yet in other passages there is a harsh metallic sound to her voice, and there is a tendency to squawk at the top. Still, as weak links go, it is a more than adequate performance.
Overall I would most definitely recommend this. I understand that Opera Holland Park will be putting this on next year.
* not to be confused with Don Carlo from the opera, Don Carlo.
