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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Sung, Movingly Staged Rigoletto, 16 Dec 2006
I am generally not terribly fond of operatic stagings that blur the original intent of the work, and in particular I am unalterably opposed to the kind of senseless Eurotrashing that one so often sees in German and Austrian productions; the Salzburg Festival is a particular offender in this regard. We in America are probably not as familiar with the great opera house in Barcelona, the Teatre del Liceu, as we should be, but there has been a spate of productions coming out on DVD that, for me at least, have proven that this house is one of the great ones. And in this production from the Liceu one could say that there has been some degree of Regietheater taking over. But this production staged by Graham Vick and designed by Paul Brown is exceedingly effective. This is not a pretty 'Rigoletto' but then the opera's story isn't a pretty one, although traditional stagings tend to mute this by playing down Rigoletto's callousness as Jester and playing up his tenderness as Gilda's Father. Further, Gilda is often portrayed as a completely innocent and pure woman who is simply a pawn in the plot. This production makes her a more knowing young woman than is generally the case, a young woman who wants to break out of her sequestered environment in Rigoletto's claustrophobic house.
The sets suggest a kind of abstract environment in which the Duke's court is a sterile, cold and cynical place where the Duke's numerous women are simply part of the furniture (almost literally) and the Duke's cynicism is played up as a result. Rigoletto's padded leather chair symbolizes both a sardonic imitation of the Duke's throne and yet a comfy home haven. The brutality of the people in the opera is emphasized. And although I am rarely shocked even by operatic stagings, I have to say that I let out a gasp of disbelief when, in Act III, Rigoletto savages pummels the sack that he thinks contains the assassinated Duke (but that we, the audience, know contains his dying daughter). Carlos Álvarez, in addition to singing in a ringing Verdi baritone, acts the part of Rigoletto with such skill that he is utterly believable.
Inva Mula, a soprano unfamiliar to me, very nearly steals the show. She is a beautiful young woman who portrays both the naïve daughter and the impassioned lover with credibility; add to that her ringing soprano voice, capable of the delicate coloratura of 'Caro nome' and the searing passion of Acts II and III with great skill. Marcelo Álvarez is effective as the Duke but he doesn't really command the stage as much as one might like. The voice is beautiful and has more than enough squillo for the part. He manages the final offstage 'La donna è mobile' with real pathos.
Julian Konstantinov as Sparafucile gets off to a rocky start but improves discernibly as the opera moves along. Stanislav Shvets is a woolly-voiced Monterone and frankly doesn't come across as the figure of doom that is required. The Georgian mezzo Nino Surguladze makes a smashing Maddalena, both physically and vocally and more than holds her own in the scene with the famous Quartet. The rest of the cast is more than acceptable. I particularly liked Mercè Obiol as Gilda's duenna Giovanna.
Jesús Lopez-Cobos is surely the best-known Spanish maestro these days and he is absolutely the master of the proceedings in the pit. His tempi are just, his transitions are seamlessly managed, and he breathes with his singers. The orchestra and chorus of the Liceu are magnificent, the latter also carrying out Vick's complicated stage actions admirably.
It happens that I watched this DVD a few hours before I listened to a Saturday Met broadcast of 'Rigoletto' (and with Carlos Álvarez again singing a fine Rigoletto) and must say that the Liceu performance outscores it in all departments (particularly the leading roles, not counting Álvarez).
Scott Morrison
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