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Seen and Heard International
Opera Review
Verdi , Attila: Soloists;orchestra and Chorus of Sarasota Opera, Victor de
Renzi (conductor) Sarasota,
Florida, 20.02.2007 (LS)
Sarasota Opera is fast approaching its 50th anniversary (2007 is its 48th season). Its National Historic Landmark Opera House was built in 1926 and the building is just about to undergo a $60 million renovation. The company's Artistic Director, Victor De Renzi, is an unabashed Verdi fan having conducted 22 Verdi operas in Sarasota Opera's Verdi Cycle before taking on Attila.
The opera opens to Attila's army celebrating victory over
the city of Acquileia. Odabella leads a group of women
prisoners in proclaiming their invincible spirit: they
fought next to their men unlike Atilla's women. Attila
is enthralled by Odabella and offers her any gift she
desires. She asks for a sword and he gives her his own.
Odabella declares that the sword will wreak vengeance
for the death of her father and for everything else she
hast lost. The Roman General Ezio arrives and offers the
entire world to Attila as long as Italy remains his. Attila
agrees and continues to wage his war. During a truce,
Attila marries Odabella but soon finds her in the arms
of the Acquileian Knight, Foresto and in the company of
Ezio. Attila is killed by Odabella with his own sword.
From the moment the curtain rose on a beautiful scene populated by singing Huns the audience knew it was in for a treat. What they didn't know was that Othalie Graham in her Sarasota Opera debut would come roaring in as Odabella and blast Young-Bok Kim's Attila off his throne. Like Abigaille hammering Nabucco, she gave clear notice from the outset that she wasn't about to be pushed around. Othalie Graham had a big exciting voice, though its lower register was not quite as effective as her upper register.
Young-Bok Kim as Attila had a beautiful bass voice and used it fairly effectively. He is quite familiar to Sarasota Opera audiences, having sung in La Boheme, I Masnadieri, Lakme and Die Zauberflöte. Unfortunately his volume control wasn't set as high as the other principals and as a consequence he missed the chance to dominate this opera in way that Nesterenko does in the 1985 Verona classic now available as as a Warner Vision DVD.
Todd Thomas (baritone) also well known at Sarasota with appearances dating back to 1993, sang Ezio, the Roman traitor general willing to turn against his own emperor. One of the most memorable moments in Attila is when Ezio tells Attila that he can have the whole universe if he will give Italy to himself. Thomas's singing was excellent although perhaps not quite as ruthless as Ezio's character would suggest.
Rafael Dávila (tenor) first appeared at Sarasota in 2003. As Foresto, the Acquelian knight in love with Odabella, he belted out his solos with enthusiasm and competence. His presentation on stage, like Todd Thomas's Ezio, was stylishly classical with plenty of posturing and sword thrusts. Brian Frutiger (Uldino) and Todd Robinson (Leone the prophet) rounded out the cast in good form.
There are no "good guys" in Attila, with the possible exception of Attila himself who acts honourably despite plans for world domination. Odabella, Ezio, and Foresto are all untrustworthy conspirators and unlike the rest of Verdi's operas, there are no opportunities in for the audience to shed any tears in this work. But who cares? The thrilling and sometimes sublime choruses, the back to back solos and the dramatic finale made for a highly entertaining evening driven along by Victor DeRenzi's first rate conducting.
Julian Budden notes in The Operas of Verdi that critics weren't too kind to Attila after its first night performance. The Italian public loved it however and it "was to prove one of the most popular of all patriotic operas". De Renzi and his team showed why Attila triumphed.
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