BY SPENCER DARBY
Opera Australia
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 2 July 2014
In the wake of recent controversy over Tamar Iveri’s infamous Facebook comments, a scrutinising spotlight has been cast on the national opera company. True to their mandate to enrich the nation’s cultural landscape, company management acted on the situation, and then got straight on with the job of producing great theatre. Their new production of Rigoletto presents a bloody and brutal depiction of Verdi’s well-known tale of the grizzled anti-hero court-jester, his beloved daughter and the philandering Duke of Mantua.
The production is characterised by boldly coloured, elaborate costumes, bawdy court scenes and a dual-rotating set, which provides the opportunity for an amorphous setting, constantly changing with the emotional currents and sexual desires that drive a wholly unlikeable cast of characters. In spite of the unrelatable characters, however, this work stands out as one of Verdi’s great masterpieces where he probes the nature of human loneliness and the ugliest aspects of mob-mentality and class privilege.
Rigoletto, whilst being ingrained in the daily buzz of the court, despises its occupants – and the feeling is mutual. Giorgio Caoduro’s interpretation of the lonely, introverted jester was nothing short of astonishing. His youthful and clarion baritone was an unexpected vehicle through which so much accumulated pain was conveyed. There was a visceral quality in his outbursts of emotion, whether professing a fatherly love for his daughter or a burning hatred for the Duke, and conversely a terrifying darkness (both vocal and dramatic) to his growing internalisations of anger. His emotional range was at no point stunted by the considerable vocal demands of the role – as he would somehow manage to spit the text through gritted teeth and then pour forth a perfect legato all within the same phrase. Short of gushing, the only criticism (which is hardly a criticism at all) that could be made of his performance would be that there was perhaps too much vitality in his sound, in a role that is normally reserved for an older vintage of baritone.
One of Australia’s most beloved sopranos and openly proud supporter of the gay community Emma Matthews developed well over the course of the evening and came to inhabit the girlish nuance of the loyal and ultimately fickle Gilda. Refreshingly, in a character that could be criticised for being subservient, submissive and an outdated representation of women, Matthews imbued her with her own brand of independence and strength, even when she makes the baffling decision to throw her life down for the man that spat in the face of their brief romance with not a hint of remorse. The fact remained that Matthews’ powerful Gilda reached that decision on her own, without consulting any patriarch, which despite the tragic outcome, was an act of wilful independence. Matthews’ glittering sound was most impressive in the top third of the voice, and especially when it was on the move in the devilishly tricky coloratura phrases devised by Verdi, but suffered some balance issues at times when placed next to the cut of Caoduro’s powerful timbre.
Gianluca Terranova’s portrayal of the Duke was vocally robust, pulling no punches in the rich, soaring phrases Verdi seemed to have a knack for writing particularly for those high voices. His communication with the other singers was somewhat hampered however, as he was noticeably glued to the conductor or monitors for his first few entries, not wanting to miss a beat. Over the course of the first act though, he relaxed into the slimy, squirm-inducing charm of the irrepressible Duke of Mantua. By the third and fourth acts, the full range of his vocal prowess was made clear, exemplified in contrasting terms, first with his virtuosic navigation of the well-known sexual-manifesto ‘La donna e mobile’ and then his impressive ensemble singing in one of opera’s most famous and impressive quartets.
David Parkin was an imposing and frightening figure as Sparafucile and injected the opera with an extra layer of callous brutality, in keeping with the witless cruelty of the court (presented convincingly by the ever-impressive OA chorus and supernumeraries) and the rift between Rigoletto and The Duke.
This production of Rigoletto is a bold offering by the national company and with this stellar cast, it is not an event you can afford to miss!
For more information on Opera Australia’s Rigoletto, go to http://opera.org.au/whatson/events/rigolettosydney.
Image supplied.
