BY LUCY RASH
Opera Australia with Orchestra Victoria
Directed by Roger Hodgman and conducted by Renato Palumbo
Rigoletto by Verdi
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, April 12
The first thing I notice about any production is its audience. A delightful cohort of immaculately dressed punters buzz about the foyer of Melbourne’s State Theatre for the season opening of Opera Australia, and the opening night of its production of Rigoletto. Conversation is flowing, champagne is being downed, and crisp dinner jackets adorned with the freshest of flowers are getting about like it ain’t nobody’s business. The esteemed costume designer Tracy Grant Lord steps past me on her way to the auditorium. So tangible is the warmth of the atmosphere here that I’m sure she has tailored this too.
The story of Rigoletto, on the other hand, is anything but pleasant. Its tragic narrative entangles the lives of the debauched Duke of Mantua, his court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s charming daughter Gilda. The Duke is – to put it bluntly – a shameless womaniser. His court is home to a company of semi-clad women made to dance on tables for their suitors. With Rigoletto egging him on, the Duke succeeds in seducing a court attendant’s daughter. When the enraged courtier casts a terrible curse on both the Duke and Rigoletto, Gilda’s life hangs in the balance: she falls hopelessly in love with the Duke and sacrifices her own life to save him from the executioners hired by her father. Rigoletto finally discovers his daughter’s bloodied body wrapped in a hessian sack.
I have to admit, as a young woman, it’s a difficult plot to embrace. Nevertheless, Opera Australia – in partnership with Orchestra Victoria and a cast of supreme soloists – has crafted a production so gorgeously tactile I’d see it many times over.
While other companies have experimented with pared back staging (the English National Opera’s most recent production of Rigoletto comes to mind), Director Roger Hodgman’s offering is, in comparison, quite voluptuous – just like the Duke’s companions! Two rotating facades split the stage and permit swift scene changes throughout. The storm preceding Gilda’s death rages on a monumental screen to the rear of Richard Roberts’ set, and clever lighting arrangements assist in matching what we see onstage with the somber plot we know on paper. The aesthetic is effective and carefully considered.
Opera Australia has engaged a truly spectacular group of soloists for this production. Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova delights as the Duke, a role he has performed previously at Milan’s La Scala and the Arena di Verona. It is interesting to learn that Terranova has experience as a composer, arranger, and performer of musical theatre. Any associated showmanship is put to excellent use in his display as the peacock-like Duke. Terranova’s rendition of La donna è mobile (translated as ‘women are changeable’) is delivered with technical brilliance and exactly the right degree of cheek. It’s clear why Verdi insisted on keeping the famous melody under wraps prior to its premiere; it’s that damn catchy that some other composer would have nicked it for sure.
Australian favourite Warwick Fyfe gives a suitably pithy and commanding performance in the title role. Who could expect anything less? Come curtain call, however, it’s clear that the real winner of hearts is Russian soprano Irina Dubrovskaya. Such a rich, clear tone! She owns the role of Gilda with a curious fragility that begs our alliance with her troubled character. Relationships that develop onstage are meaningful and of substance, not least demonstrated by Rigoletto’s impassioned interactions with his daughter. Every role is performed to a tee, but it’s the leads who shine.
Musically, Rigoletto is a winner. One or two flighty passages from the chorus are soon forgotten, and it proves a strong support to the rest of the cast. Opening with the aptly dark and foreboding Preludio, Orchestra Victoria presents a colourful and beautifully nuanced interpretation of the score under the baton of Italian Verdi specialist Maestro Renato Pelumbo. As Gilda’s death approaches, both orchestra and singers work seamlessly to evoke the slowing of her heart. It is perfectly controlled; Maestro Palumbo is clearly right at home.
Rigoletto’s plot may seem grim, but the faces of those exiting the venue tell a vastly different story.
Image: Terranova and Pendry in Rigoletto. Credit: Jeff Bunsby.
