Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Attila (1845) [118.00]
Giovanni Battista Parodi (bass) - Attila; Susanna Branchini (soprano)
- Odabella; Roberto de Biasio (tenor) - Foresto; Sebastian Catana
(baritone) - Ezio; Cristiano Cremonini (tenor) - Uldino; Zyian Atleh
(bass) - Leone
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Regio, Parma/Andrea Battistoni
rec. Teatro Regio di Parma, October 2010
extra:introduction to Attila [10.00]
C MAJOR 
721608 [128.00]
Among the many operas which Verdi produced during what he called his
“galley years” the reputation of Attila has not
generally stood very high. Verdi himself had major problems with the
text - he originally engaged Francesco Maria Piave, then sacked him
and turned to Temistocle Solera, then sacked him in turn and went
back to Piave again. Both Piave and Solera had produced quite satisfactory
libretti for Verdi in the past, but they signally failed to do so
this time. Instead we have a rather broken-backed and unmotivated
plot in which, bizarrely, the extended Prologue is longer than any
of the three Acts which succeed it. We are left with a succession
of single numbers, duets and trios in which a lyrical cavatina is
followed by an upbeat cabaletta; rarely does this formula change.
The best single aria is that for Ezio at the beginning of the Second
Act, but otherwise the melodic inspiration runs rather thin. There
are far too many rum-ti-tum brass-heavy march-like movements to allow
for variety.
Given the problems, it is perhaps surprising that this is the fourth
DVD version of Attila to make the catalogues. The best of the
existing issues is Riccardo Muti’s recording from La Scala,
which has an excellent cast including Cheryl Studer as the vengeful
Odabella, Samuel Ramey as the oddly sympathetic Attila and Giorgio
Zancanaro as a full-voiced Ezio. Under the circumstances any rival
is going to have its work cut out, and it must be admitted that none
of the singers here are in the La Scala league. Even so, they are
not a bad collection, with no obviously weak links. All have strong
voices which they employ with a considerable degree of subtlety. None
are great actors, but then the situations with which they are confronted
don’t allow much scope for this.
Susanna Branchini is a fiery Odabella - much better than Cristina
Deutekom on the pioneering set of CDs in Lamberto Gardelli’s
Philips series - scything her way through the role with some evidence
of rawness in the more strenuous coloratura passages but producing
some nicely quiet singing when required. Sebastian Catana is also
excellent as Ezio, and makes much of his aria Dagl’immortali
vertici (track 25). Roberto di Basio is a personable Foresto;
he cannot make much dramatic sense of his persistent changes of mood
and character, but he shades the music very pleasantly and produces
a nicely heroic tone when it is needed. Cristiano Cremonini is very
nearly as good, and Zyian Atleh is good and solid as Pope Leo, oddly
described in the score and booklet as “an old Roman” -
were there censorship problems with the depiction of a Pope on stage
in 1845? In the title role Giovanni Battista Parodi sings with nicely
rounded tone and ploughs his way manfully through his various barn-storming
cabalettas, but his voice is the least individual in the cast and
one can imagine that he could possibly have made a more dramatic impression
on the stage.
The conductor Andrea Battistoni looks very young indeed, but he has
the measure of Verdi’s score and gives it plenty of wallop.
The orchestral playing is sometimes a little weak in the string section,
but not too seriously so, and the rather small chorus produce plenty
of tone. The audience claps mechanically at every full stop, but doesn’t
sound too enthusiastic at the end. The applause goes on for over four
minutes, but at times it seems as though only two or three people
are actually putting their hands together. This is unfair to a set
of performers who, if they are not of the very first rank, nevertheless
produce a good effect. They testify to today’s high standard
of Verdi performance which Italian provincial houses can offer audiences.
The sets by Carlo Savi are more interesting than the rather basic
ones at La Scala. They make extensive use of filmed backgrounds, which
most effectively suggest the scenes on the battleground and in various
forest settings. They are not too well integrated into the foreground
stage; better in the final Act than earlier. Sometimes the speed of
the camera movement is distracting but the results are often stunning
and they give the eye plenty to look at. It is unfortunate under the
circumstances that the editing too frequently cuts away to the conductor
and the orchestra in the pit. As I have already suggested, the stage
direction by Pierfrancesco Maestrini does not make a great impression.
Nevertheless, he gets the singers to the right places at the right
times and enables them to give of their best when they are there,
and doesn’t ask them to do anything outrageous. That is probably
all that Attila needs. Lionel Salter’s English subtitles
make the convolutions of the plot - such as they are - clear.
Those who want Attila on DVD will probably gravitate to the
La Scala issue; but as a stage representation of the opera as part
of Unitel’s Tutto Verdi edition, this is by no means
a second best.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
see also review of Bluray release by Robert
Farr (February 2013 Recording of the Month)
