SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Verdi, Simon Boccanegra:  Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus Oper Zürich,  Conductor: Carlo Rizzi Opernhaus Zürich 13.1.2009 (JMI)

New Production

Director: Giancarlo del Monaco
Sets: Carlo Centolavigna
Costumes: Maria Filippi
Lighting: Hans-Rudolf Kunz

Cast:

Simon Boccanegra: Leo Nucci
Amelia Grimaldi: Isabel Rey
Gabriele Adorno: Fabio Sartori
Jacopo Fiesco: Roberto Scandiuzzi
Paolo Albiani: Mássimo Cavalletti
Pietro: Giuseppe Scorsin


All opera lovers know that Zürich is one of the reference cities in Europe, not only for the high quality of its performances, but also for the almost continuous presence of great opera singers on its roster. This is not the place to analyze the reasons for Zürich’s success, but having a small sized theatre with about 1,200 seats, even though it can cause budget problems, is certainly an artistic advantage. 

So who could resist a program that  in three days offered the possibility of seeing    Simon Boccanegra with Leo Nucci, Tristan und Isolde with Nina Stemne and Semele with Cecilia Bartoli? Not me!

After the unimpressive performances of Simon Boccanegra at Barcelona’s  Liceu last week,  only ten days later I had the opportunity to see this opera again with a first class cast and a new production by Giancarlo del Monaco. The production is very attractive aesthetically and it is one of those works that be enjoyed by the vast majority of opera audiences. There is no type of transposition in time or location, nor any deep philosophical thoughts, both of which are so much in fashion nowadays. There is simply the telling of  a story, relating everything to  it with simplicity. The sets consist of columns, pillars and marble, with beautiful doors at the back, changing to a spectacular frieze for the Council scene complete with a cyclorama of the sea, which is so important in this opera.

The costumes are also very attractive, red for plebeians and dark for patricians, changing into a beautiful blue for the final scene.  In more than one respect this production reminds me of Del Monaco’s interpretation of this same opera in the Teatro Real some eight years ago, but this time it's  a more beautiful work to look at. Mr Del Monaco has the advantage of having a few great actors in this cast and that helps a lot to develop his ideas. In summary, this is a beautiful and attractive production, old - fashioned by many of today's standards  foropera.

Leo Nucci reappeared after cancelling his commitments for almost two months. In great opera there are times where an artist decides to take  the weight of the responsibility of the performance and push everybody upwards. It doesn't happen often and it is only possible when an exceptional artist is on stage. But here, after the Prologue and the first scene of Act I, which was  cold and boring to a certain extent, we got into the Council Scene and it was then that  Leo Nucci decided it was time to turn the performance around:   of course he succeeded maginficently.   Nucci proved once more  again that  he has no  rival yet  in his area, that he  is an artist of enormous stature and that his vocal freshness continues to be a genuine miracle of nature. All the second part of the opera had equally great intensity and Nucci reached the heights that can be expected from  him. I couldn’t stop thinking of the tragedy of his cancellation of I Due Foscari in Bilbao at the end of November. Simon Boccanegra cannot succeed without a great protagonist and the problem is always where to find one. Thanks, Leo. 

The rest of the cast had much to interest us in almost all cases. First of all, we had  Roberto Scandiuzzi as Jacopo Fiesco. He  continues being by far the best  bass in Italian opera, although his voice could not offer the immense richness  and freshness of years ago, but it is a still pleasure to listen a true Verdi bass, far above anyone else n his territory. He started rather unemotionally but   “Il  lacerato Spirto” he regained his usual great intensity, feeling and good taste throughout the entire performance.

Fabio Sartori was an outstanding Gabriele Adorno. This tenor has the right voice for the character, having widened remarkably the middle register in the last couple of years and he is now perfectly suited to play these types of Verdi tenor roles.  His biggest problem in a sense comes from the fact of having  been  born  about 20 years late. Nowadays his  figure and his limited abilities as an actor condemn him to a devalued career, thogh one that could have been very important in the 70s or 80s. If Leo Nucci changed the course of this  opera, Sartori was able to win the first ovation from the audience after his aria in Act II.

Finally, we had  the Valencian soprano Isabel Rey as  Amelia Grimaldi. To see her cast in this role, one which is very different from her usual repertoire, was a surprise, since I have never been able to see in her other than a good light soprano who has some problems in the higher register. The balance of her performance was positive in general, in the sense that she  resolved the difficulties of the role better than I was expecting. However, she is ultimately too light an Amelia for my taste. She sang correctly and without special brightness for  “Come in questa ora bruna” but  her shining and floated notes in the Council scene that Verdi wrote for her character were particularly good.

Massimo Cavalletti made a very good impression as Paolo Albiani. This young baritone has a voice which lies between the lyric and the dramatic  and sings with great intensity. His high notes are not projected very brightly. Giuseppe Scorsin was a Pietro better on  quantity  than quality.

The Milanese conductor Carlo Rizzi  offered a reading of the score which improved as the opera progressed. Life and tension were rather in short supply during the first part of the opera, but improved remarkably in the second. The Orchester der Oper Zurich was a first class.

This was a performance of Simon Boccanegra which came near to the ideal in vocal terms. The size and the acoustics of the theatre helped a lot, especially since the production required singing from the back of the stage at many moments.

There were some empty seats in the theatre, despite the excellent cast.  At the final bows, there was a great  triumph for  Leo Nucci and almost the same for Sartori and Scandiuzzi.

José M Irurzun


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