Quality of Mercy del 19 aprile

Quality of Mercy GIUSEPPE PENNISI was at the opening night of the new Parma-Montecarlo production of Verdi's 'Stiffelio' In Verdi's catalogue Stiffelio is almost a puzzle. It was moderately successful at its premiere in Trieste on 16 November 1850, but in its original version, it disappeared until the late nineteen sixties. It dealt with a sensitive topic: in a strict protestant community, the pastor discovers his wife's adultery and shows his quality of mercy and forgiveness during the Sunday service. In Verdi's times, after applause in the theatre but controversy in the press (and in the socio-political world of Trieste), the libretto had to be drastically changed; the time and place changed to the Crusaders' period, a fourth act was added, and with it's new title Aroldo, the opera had a new start in Rimini. For a few years, it was seen in several Italian theatres. The original score was considered lost. It was discovered, almost by chance, in the archives of Naples Conservatory in the mid nineteen sixties. This prompted a new premiere in 1968 in Parma but the original opera never broke much ground in Italy. However, it became an international hit following a 1993 London Royal Opera House production. As its protagonist is one of Verdi's finest tenor roles, it became a favorite opera of José Carreras and Plácido Domingo in the major US and UK houses, and of Mario Malagnini in the German speaking world. Now, it is often performed in the USA, Germany and Switzerland (when a tenor with the right pitch is available), but almost neglected in Italy, even though some musicologists (eg Julian Budden) consider it at the same level of the 'popular trilogy' (Rigoletto, Trovatore and Traviata) which Stiffelio immediately precedes. In many ways, the opera, based on a French play, is very 'modern', even though -- as remarked by the British musicologist Roger Parker -- its libretto leaves a bit to be desired; the audience cannot easily understand the reasons for the adultery of Lina (Stiffelio's wife). In the play, her short affair is with Raffaele, an accomplished womanizer, but in the libretto some passages of the action are far from clear. For Verdi's scholars, Stiffelio has an additional feature of interest: it helps understand Verdi's troubled atheism (and, thus, its religious doubts). Yu Guanqun as Lina in Act II of Verdi's 'Stiffelio' at Teatro Regio di Parma. Photo © 2012 Roberto Ricci. Click on the image for higher resolution The Parma Teatro Regio presented a new co-production with Montecarlo Opéra on 15 April 2012. This review is based on the performance that unveiled this staging, on the critical edition of the score by Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell, and published by the University of Chicago Press and the Universal Music's Casa Ricordi. The stage direction is by Guy Montavon and the musical direction by Andrea Battistoni. The stage sets and costumes are by Francesco Calcagnini. They are 'transportable' -- a clear hope that, after this revival, Stiffelio would have a new life in Italy and France -- and maybe in other countries as well. The stage set is a grey structure that with a few props becomes a hall, a cemetery and a church. The protestant community wears grey and black costumes; the only exceptions being the villain's reddish redingote and the white dress of the soprano in the last short and very tense scene. The action is swift: fifty minutes for the first act and thirty minutes for each of the second and third acts. In the pit, Andrea Battistoni, the twenty-five-year-old rising star of the Italian conducting firmament. He had recently disappointed La Scala's audience and reviewers with his handling of Le Nozze di Figaro, but he felt at home with Verdi: especially good was his mastery of the brass. After the predominantly martial overture -- a sequence of contrasting melodies, some of which return in the subsequent action -- we are right in the middle of the action without the usual initial chorus: an old preacher's chromatic prayer on behalf of Stiffelio just back home (to his congregation) after a long mission. The stage direction, sets and costumes provide the appropriate oppressive atmosphere of the general context: a tightly closed community with a strong religious color or tint which will pervade the score throughout the opera, also during the welcoming chorus, the septet, the complex double aria, Lina's prayer and the four movement duet. The atmosphere becomes increasingly dramatic as we move to the hall of the castle -the Lord of the place is Lina's father -- and then to a graveyard, a new hall and finally the church where Stiffelio makes his mercy known by opening the Bible on the episode of the woman taken in adultery and reaching the phrase 'and she rose up forgiven'. The final scene is extremely 'modern'. There is no 'concertato', as was customary in 1850, and neither are there sustained melodies. The musical core is declamation and choral interpolation. This is very effective dramatically, and quite stunning musically in the mid nineteenth century. Roberto Aronica (centre) as Stiffelio in Act III of Verdi's 'Stiffelio' at Teatro Regio di Parma. Photo © 2012 Roberto Ricci. Click on the image for higher resolution The stage action is well calibrated so as to hide the unclear passages of the libretto. Indeed, Guy Montavon and Francesco Calcagnini have handled this difficult text quite well, and have shown its modernity. They are well supported by a group of singers (especially Roberto Aronica, Yu Guanqun and Roberto Frontali, who do not lack acting skills) and a chorus (directed by Martino Faggiani) well accustomed to be a protagonist in the stage movement. As mentioned before, Stiffelio is the prototype of Verdi's tenors, with a strong center register which will then evolve into Otello's vocality. The fist aria 'Vidi dovunque gemere' -- a double aria with no cabaletta -- sets the tone, especially when the melody breaks off as Stiffelio sees that Lina's ring is missing. Also in the second act's 'concertato' quartet movement (prefiguring that in Rigoletto), Stiffelio develops an impressive musical presence through his powerful declamatory style. In the third act's confrontation with Lina, 'Opposto è il colle', Stiffelio starts with an apparently simple melody charged with harmonic tension. Thus, a very complex role for an accomplished tenor. Roberto Aronica is handling his vocal instrument with skill and wisdom. Some twenty five years ago, he started his career as a lyric tenor with a bright timbre and a flair for coloratura; with age, his voice has darkened, but his volume has grown stronger. He demonstrated that he is an excellent bari-tenor with a central register, and a promising Otello. He deserved the ovations he received at the end of the performance. The soprano, too, is an anticipation of Verdi's later work. There is little 'coloratura' -- still strong in Rigoletto, Trovatore and Traviata -- but from the initial prayer in the first act 'A tu ascenda, o Dio clemente', the vocal score is delicate, with elaborate cadential harmonies (like in Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino). Also, like in the 1881 version of Simon, the soprano, not the tenor, leads the 'concertato' at the end of the first act. Again in the final part confrontation duet of the third act 'Egli un patto proponea', Lina's vocal line is pure and accompanied solely by an English horn (nearly an anticipation of Otello). Yu Guanqun is a very young dramatic soprano from Shanghai conservatory; she is still a student at the Bologna Scuola dell'Opera. Her diction (in Italian) is perfect. She has a very pure and clear vocal line, and she received open stage applause after her main arias. A scene from Act III of Verdi's 'Stiffelio' at Teatro Regio di Parma. Photo © 2012 Roberto Ricci. Click on the image for higher resolution The devious seducer Raffaele is a lyric tenor of little substance -- Gabriele Mangione handled the role well -- whilst Stankar, Lina's father, groping for revenge and eventually slaughtering the womanizer, is a strong baritone, almost a cousin of Rigoletto, but his cabaletta after the andante in the third act 'O gioia inesprimibile' is not in full voice (as Conte di Luna's cabaletta in the second act of Trovatore), but almost 'sottovoce', again a distinct innovation in Italian melodrama. Roberto Frontali is well-known and well-loved in Parma; after the third act aria with cabaletta, the upper tier exploded in a long applause. Quite important is the role of the old preacher Jorg, Stiffelio's good and merciful conscience, and almost a counterpoint to the protagonist. George Andguladze had the right grave tonalities, but on 15 April was short in volume. George Andguladze as Jorg in Act I of Verdi's 'Stiffelio' at Teatro Regio di Parma. Photo © 2012 Roberto Ricci. Click on the image for higher resolution I wish that after this revival, Stiffelio would achieve its rightful place in Verdi's productions and be considered as important as the 'popular trilogy'. Copyright © 18 April 2012 Giuseppe Pennisi, Rome, Italy GIUSEPPE VERDI TEATRO REGIO DI PARMA PARMA ITALY << M&V home Concert reviews Manon >>