Original and Controversial Music and Vision May 16

Original but Controversial
'Sicilian Vespers' as conceived by Verdi,
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

Even at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, Les Vêpres Siciliennes is normally presented in Italian, also when the (nearly) full five act original version with a long third act ballet is on stage. In Italy, only the Teatro dell'Opera of Rome produced the full unabridged version in French: it was way back in 1997 with a good cast (John Nelson in the pit, Dessì, Kuelber, Coni and Furlanetto as protagonists), a decent staging (even though the time of the plot was updated from 1282 to around 1850) and a top-class ballet (with Alessandra Ferri and Maximiliano Guerra as stars). The experience has not been repeated until 15 May 2011 for several reasons: too long an opera (the whole evening lasts five hours), and too expensive a production. The recently fully refurbished Teatro San Carlo of Naples, back in its full splendor, organized a glittering new production of the full unabridged opera in French with the ballet and a top class cast (Gianluigi Gelmetti in the pit, Dario Solari, Gregory Kunde, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Orlin Anastassov as protagonists), the stage direction of Nicolas Joel, the stage sets of Ezio Frigerio, the costumes of Franca Squarciapino and the choreography of Amedeo Amodio. No doubt a colossal production, similar to those that enthralled the Imperial Opera House in Paris when Verdi, for a fabulous fee, signed the contract that led to Les Vêpres Siciliennes. In 1855, Les Vêpres Siciliennes had as many as sixty two performances in the Parisian Imperial Opera House. In short, it was a major hit and the theatre recouped the high fee paid to Verdi and the huge production costs; it also made a handsome profit.
Verdi had already worked for 'la grande boutique' -- this was his name for the main Paris Opera House -- in 1847 when he had been invited to adapt I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata to the French taste and habits by translating the text, adding ballet music and changing the title into Jerusalem. But Les Vêpres Siciliennes was his first full experience with the workings of the Parisian theatre. Thirteen years later, in 1867, he was back in Paris for a new five act and ballet opera, Don Carlos, conceived especially to suit the French taste.

Alexandrina Pendatchanska as Hélène with the chorus in Act I of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
Verdi was well aware that the road to world fame, and financial success, went through Paris. He was ready to make great stylistic concessions to la grande boutique. He was nonetheless uneasy with the planned work because the libretto by Scribe and Duveyrier did not please him. He liked even less all the ceremonial processions and arbitrarily inserted ballets. The months of rehearsal, including continuous changes in the libretto (during the course of composing the music), proved an arduous, tiring and irritating way of operating. Luckily, only several years later, he discovered that he had not been provided with a new original text but that Scribe and Duveyrier had merely adapted an old libretto for an opera, Il Duca d'Alba, that Gaetano Donizetti had left incomplete -- it was finished later on the basis of Donizetti's notes and had its premiere at the Rome Teatro Apollo in 1882). Had he known, Verdi would have lost his temper and exploded. Eventually, Les Vêpres Siciliennes was presented on 13 June 1855 with outstanding success to mark the inauguration of the first World Exhibition.
This background information is needed to explain why the original French Les Vêpres Siciliennes had comparatively limited staging until mid-1970s, when it was revived in Paris. The plot is cumbersome and, even though it had been commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III Theatre, in Italy it was considered 'subversive' because its title is linked to a historical, or semi-legendary, episode of a Sicilian revolt against the French way back in the thirteenth century. Thus, for censorship reasons, the title was changed (mostly into Giovanna de' Guzman) and the plot moved from Sicily in 1282 to Portugal. In the process, several other changes (mostly cuts) were introduced by impresarios conscious of the very high production costs. Finally, in some versions, the final scene was modified to add a happy ending, a wedding banquet and a rondo.

Dario Solari as Guy de Montfort and Gregory Kunde as Henry in Act I of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
In the 1970s, only Paris had the courage to stage the original version; in Turin I Vespri Siciliani (in Italian, without ballet and with several cuts) had the privilege to be chosen for the inauguration of the reconstructed Teatro Regio with Maria Callas as protagonist; it is reported that on the black market, prices were outrageous with the ticket for an orchestra seat equivalent to the monthly salary of a middle level Fiat motor company employee. But all in all, Les Vêpres Siciliennes (in its various titles and editions) was never one of the most performed operas of the Verdi catalogue.
Nonetheless, it has marvelous music, from the overture, the longest Verdi wrote. It is often presented as a concert piece. It is made up of themes drawn from the opera. It is in two movements: a Largo, full of rhythmic tragic figures, even in its most lyrical major mode section, and an Allegro Agitato main theme, drawn from the Henry-Guy duet in the third act. The Allegro Agitato is repeated twice before a noisy Prestissimo brings the piece to a close. Also there are important arias, duets and concertati at the end of four of the five acts. The ballet music is some of the best composed by Verdi.

The Grand Ballet from Act III of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
The emphasis on the Henry-Guy duet is important. It shows that the opera has as its focal point the tormented father-son relationship (a main theme of Verdi's operas) and very little to do with the Italian national unification movement (the Risorgimento), as the censors, in their stupidity, thought. Musically, granted the very difficult production problems of a passionate and violent five act action, the opera marks a turning point in both strictly formal terms and in larger matters of operatic structures and conventions: it moves away from traditional melodrama and shows new emerging stylistic features that will be associated with subsequent Verdi works. In all later Verdi, the experience of Les Vêpres Siciliennes will be recalled and refined.
This review is based on the 15 May 2011 opening night. A first positive comment is on the staging. The five acts are presented in three parts; thus with only two intermissions. There is no attempt to update the action to 1850 or thereabouts, as was done in October in Parma, or to the 1990s Mafia Wars (with reference to current Italian politics) as was organized in January at the Teatro Regio in Turin. Nicolas Joël's staging, Ezio Frigerio's sets and Franca Squarciapino's costumes placed the plot right in 1382 or thereabouts, in a Palermo still imprinted by Byzantine and Arab architecture. Hence, there is no reference to Risorgimento: instead Les Vêpres Siciliennes is presented as a 1950s Hollywood colossal. This makes even the rather unlikely plot plausible and, in spite of the colorful context, it provides the setting to explore the complex father-son relationship. Also Jean Procida does not appear as a Risorgimento revolutionary but as a single-minded vindicator who causes the final grueling tragedy just when all the problems seem resolved and peace appears to be achieved for ever and ever. The setting was leased from the Teatro Massimo of Palermo where Les Vêpres Siciliennes was staged some six years ago but in Italian, without ballet and with several 'traditional cuts'.

Gregory Kunde as Henry and Alexandrina Pendatchanska as Hélène in Act IV of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
Gianluigi Gelmetti's musical direction is in line with this grand, yet intimate, conception of the production. There is plenty of rhythm in the orchestra pit and a lot of Agitato, especially in the concertati at the end of the first, third and fifth acts, but also Andante and Moderato cantabile in the key Henry-Guy scenes. He gently slows the tempos occasionally. The orchestra responded very well: the brass and the wind groups have greatly improved over the last few years, mostly thanks to Jeffrey Tate's efforts -- Tate has been the San Carlo musical director for nearly a decade. The overall performance lasts about five hours including the two intermissions.
Vocally, Les Vêpres Siciliennes is full of traps, especially for the tenor. It was composed for a typically French high pitched tenor who could rise from mezza voce to the impervious height of acute, while retaining a clear timbre and a sophisticated phrasing. A Donizetti or even a Rossini 'tenore di grazia' rather than a 'Verdian' tenor. There are very few of them around: Alfredo Kraus was perhaps the last one. Gregory Kunde was a 'tenore di grazia' some fifteen years ago when, for example, he was appreciated in Guillaume Tell in Pesaro. He has had vocal problems for a few years but has now fully recovered, even though he is more a 'tenore spinto' than a 'tenore di grazia'. He did extremely well in his main aria O jour de peine et de souffrance (when he received real accolades) and in the duets, trios and concertati. He has good phrasing, a well-tempered legato, a clear (albeit slightly darkened) timbre and a strong volume.

The final scene of Act V of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
The baritone and the bass roles are not especially hard: Dario Solari (Guy) and Orlin Anastassov (Jean) did quite well. Solari excelled in the duets with Kunde, Anastassov in his 'O toi Palerme' cavatina or entrance aria.
Alexandrina Pendatchanska had the main female role. It is a taxing part for a dramatic soprano with coloratura (just like Maria Callas or Susan Dunn). The role includes very tense arias (like that of the first act), a swinging bolero, several duets and the lead role in at least one of the concertati. She has a good emission but on 15 May her volume left quite a bit to be desired. This was especially apparent in her duets with Kunde.

Curtain calls. From left to right: Salvatore Caputo, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Mariano Bauduin, Alberto Cavallotti and Amedeo Amodio at the end of Verdi's 'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli. Photo © 2011 Francesco Squeglia. Click on the image for higher resolution
A generally weak point was the diction: only Kunde and Anastassov mastered French singing well. The chorus, directed by Lorenzo Caputo, was very willing but its French could barely be understood.
All the other soloists -- too many to be mentioned singularly -- were pretty good. The choreography designed by Amedeo Amodio was elegant; more than a princely ball scene, it was based on Sicilian youngsters discovering erotic expressions and love on a sunny beach. An original but a controversial choice.
After five hours in the theatre, there were accolades for Kunde, Anastassov and Gelmetti and applause for the others.
Copyright © 21 May 2011 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy

GIUSEPPE VERDI
NAPLES
ITALY
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