Tom Scutt’s clever set is economical
and theatrically effective. Two rusty, corrugated iron freight units, helpfully
labelled ‘Italia’ in case we are in any doubt of the location, may not
immediately be visually appealing; but, spun and disrobed to reveal first a
bordello bondage cage ‡ la Berlusconi, then Rigoletto’s meek abode, next
Sparafucile’s seedy bar which is itself transformed into the assassin’s
gruesome abattoir, they prove efficient and engaging.
They also neatly contain the various locations but also allow for some
pointed juxtapositions between interiors and exteriors, thereby enhancing
tragic ironies. Thus, as Gilda promises her father that her love was only for
him and for God, we see the Duke persuading Giovanna to allow him admittance to
the young innocent’s sparse bedroom, foreshadowing the subsequent seduction.
Similarly, we witness the plotting of Gilda’s abductors as she sleeps
unknowingly within. Moreover, Gilda’s own ascent to the roof-top, effectively
indicates her desire for freedom from her father’s jealous, selfish
oppression. Most powerfully, in the Act 3 quartet, Gilda and Rigoletto cower in
the gloom without, overhearing the Duke’s flirtations with Maddalena within
— the contrasting sentiments which animate the four characters convincingly
revealed and fully intelligible.
Jaewoo Kim as Duke and Patricia Orr as Maddalena
Director Lindsay Posner has updated the action to an unspecified modern era
— Jonathan Miller’s Mafioso motifs, all sinister dark glasses and slick
suits, retain their influence. But, despite the success of Miller’s seminal
production, there remain some problems with such an updating. The opening ball
scene may be suitably colourful — red velvet-clad hussies slinkily gyrating
and twisting between the black-masked tuxedoes, and the piquant dances and
carefree gaiety ticking the debauchery box — but the overall impression is
not really the ‘kingdom of pleasure’ of which the revellers boast.
And, bunga-bunga parties don’t generally employ a ‘court jester’. Thus
Rigoletto’s appearance, clutching a cane walking stick, afflicted by a small
hunch, and sporting a ‘buffone’ ti-shirt seems a little out of kilter.
Similarly, it’s customarily necessary for the audience to imagine Gilda as
much younger than the average prima donna in the role: but here, it is
hard to believe that the tomboy-ish naÔf in hoodie and leggings knows nothing
at all of life or love, or even her father’s name. Moreover, for one so
innocent, Gilda’s maidenly resistance gives way with remarkable rapidly under
the pressure of the Duke’s passionate wiles. Surely the florid coloratura of
one so pure should not be accompanied by sexual shivering and writhing among
the tousled sheets?
Bewitched by her aristocratic wooer, Gilda delivers ‘Caro nome’
clutching a pillow in a dancing embrace, while her hairbrush is fashioned into
a wannabe’s microphone — all that is missing is some air-guitar strumming
and strutting; not bad for a girl who leaves the house only to go to church,
and who — judging by the paucity of her decrepit surroundings (certainly her
home is humble, but is it really a hovel?) – is not in possession of even a
transistor radio.
Perhaps such criticisms are unfair, for elsewhere, Posner demonstrates a
notable attention to detail, resulting in an imaginative reinterpretation of
familiar moments. Thus, we witness Gilda’s suicidal lunging for
Sparafucile’s knife intent, despite her beloved’s infidelities, on
self-sacrifice to save the Duke. And, the bar-TV screen, showing Seria A is
interrupted by Pavarotti’s rendering of ‘La donna Ë mobile’, itself
swiftly silenced by some speedy zapping by the Duke, neatly timed to coincide
with the score.
And, there is much fine singing. As the Mantuan Duke, Korean-born Australian
tenor Jaewoo Kim is perhaps somewhat miscast. Solid and reliable, he never
looked completely comfortable as the smarmy charmer, or sufficiently predatory
as the celebrant of promiscuity in ‘Questa o quella’. A rather tentative
host in the opening party scene, the Duke’s dishevelled appearance in boxer
shorts after his assignation with Maddelena hardly presents him as a louche
libertine. Though accurate and secure of intonation, Kim lacks a true lyric
quality and the requisite warm palette of colours, and his voice was somewhat
hard and inflexible, particularly at top. Without sufficient musical and
theatrical presence to command the stage, the Duke was at times unfortunately
overshadowed, as in his agitated Act 2 aria when he laments the loss of the
girl who has become the lodestar of his life — never convincing sentiments at
the best of times.
Verdi’s jester is not a benign joker, rather a bitter, cruel man who,
warped by his physical deformity, is selfish and abusive. But he is also a
portrait of psychological and physical suffering and thus his physical
deformities must be made clear if he is to be more than a mischievous imp, and
if his paranoia and resulting spiteful vindictiveness are to be understood and
forgiven. In his donkey jacket and Viking helmet, Robert Poulton’s scarcely
inhibited ‘hunchback’ has to work hard to win our sympathy. But, Poulton
proves himself eminently able to deal with the vocal demands and stamina of
this challenging role; particularly impressive were the long recitatives, such
as that which follows his first encounter with Sparafucile. His vengeful anger
and bitterness were always clear, and he worked hard to arouse our sympathy in
the duets with Gilda, producing a pleasing cantabile in ‘Piangi,
fanciulla’.
Robert Poulton as Rigoletto
Julia SporsÈn, as Gilda, was a real revelation, displaying superb clarity
and projection, her tone pure and effortlessly pleasing; she revelled in the
bright coloratura and the simple childlike lyricism with equal aplomb —
although, as ever, it proved difficult to reconcile the showy bravura with
trusting simplicity. SporsÈn may have lacked a genuine pianissimo but she
demonstrated true tenderness in the opera’s final moments, and more than
compensated for a lack of dynamic range with a soaring, gilded soprano as she
appealed to Heaven for pity. Posner’s ‘masterstroke’ was saved for this
final duet: for, instead of a momentary miracle recovery in father’s arms,
summoning just enough strength to tell her heart-broken, frenzied father how
she deceived him, this Gilda has already joined her mother in Heaven – an
angelic voice, aloft, real or imagined, while the hunchback, clutching a
body-bag, laments his misguided love and irredeemable loss. For once, no
suspension of disbelief was required, and the distance both literal and
metaphorical between father and daughter was touchingly rendered.
Graeme Broadbent’s Sparafucile radiated stentorian menace; his cavernous
bass conveyed the emotionless amorality of the aproned butcher, who sharpened
his knives like a demon barber. As Monterone, William Robert Allenby struck a
dignified figure, his brooding, powerful bass-baritone suitably aggrieved.
In the other minor roles, a leather-clad Patricia Orr was a lively
Maddalena, while Laura Wood’s Giovanna smuggled the Duke under Gilda’s
dressing table with perfect timing. The chorus sung with secure ensemble.
Conductor Stuart Stratford was consistently alert to the musical details,
coaxing beautiful solo playing from his principal cello, clarinet and oboe.
After a solemn opening (perhaps the horns might have provided a touch more
menace), he skilfully controlled the subtle shifts of pace, volleying rhythmic
rises, and swelling instrumental furies followed by anxious descents, which
characterise Verdi’s melodramatic score.
The venue itself provided the icing on the cake, as the darkening sky cast
natural shadows heralding the approach of the louring storm and soughing wind,
and signalled the unavoidable fulfilment of Monterone’s curse.
Overall, OHP served up a truly enjoyable evening of much fine musicianship
and, despite a few false notes, some genuinely fresh theatrical insights.
Claire Seymour
image=http://www.operatoday.com/Rigo-207-1.gif
image_description=Robert Poulton as Rigoletto and Julia SporsÈn as Gilda. [Photo by Fritz Curzon.courtesy of Opera Holland Park]
product=yes
product_title=Verdi: Rigoletto
product_by=Rigoletto: Robert Poulton; Gilda: Julia SporsÈn; Duke : Jaewoo Kim; Sparafucile: Graeme Broadbent; Maddalena: Patricia Orr; Count Ceprano: Simon Wilding; Monterone: William Robert Allenby; Marullo: John Lofthouse; Borsa: Neal Cooper; Countess Ceprano: Anna Patalong; Giovanna: Laura Woods; Court Usher: Mark Spyropoulos; Page: Nicola Wydenbach; Conductor: Stuart Stratford; Director : Lindsay Posner. Designer: Tom Scutt. Lighting Designer: Philip Gladwell. Choreographer: Nikki Woollaston. Opera Holland Park, Tuesday, 26th July 2011.
product_id=Above: Robert Poulton as Rigoletto and Julia SporsÈn as Gilda
All photos by Fritz Curzon.courtesy of Opera Holland Park