Ernani is the
fifth opera in the Verdi canon. It follows
immediately after Nabucco and
I Lombardi premiered at La Scala
in March 1841 and February 1842 respectively.
These works had been resounding successes
and placed Verdi, at age thirty, at
the forefront of Italian opera composers.
Much of this was owed to Bartolomeo
Merelli who had moved from writing opera
libretti, including that for Donizetti’s
first great success Zoraida Di
Granata (review),
into opera administration as impresario
of La Scala. He it was who had cajoled
Verdi, depressed and reluctant to consider
further composition after the fiasco
of his second opera, Giorno Di Regno,
to accept and peruse the libretto of
Nabucco. Inspired by it Verdi
took up his compositional pen again.
He recognised his debt to Merelli, but
somewhat superstitious of pushing his
luck with another work for La Scala,
refused the impresario’s blandishments
for another opera. Meanwhile the Society
that owned the Gran Teatro la Fenice
in Venice assembled to decide on the
names of opera composers for the coming
season with Verdi high on the list.
La Fenice was La Scala’s biggest rival
in Northern Italy. Rossini had won international
fame with Tancredi and L’Italiana
in Algeri, both premiered at the
Fenice and concluded his Italian career
in triumph with Semiramide premiered
on 3 February 1823. After that performance
Rossini was escorted to his lodgings
by a flotilla of gondolas, a water borne
band playing a selection from his score.
A success in Venice had its own particular
flavour and the prospect was an attraction
for Verdi.
Count Alvise di Mocenigo,
president of La Fenice, entered into
correspondence with Verdi, much of which
survives. The composer, aware of his
increasing value drove a hard bargain
by which La Fenice would stage I
Lombardi as well as presenting a
new opera to a libretto of Verdi’s choice.
To write the verses he chose Piave who
was to be his collaborator in many subsequent
works. Although the subject of Ernani
had already been featured in operas
by others, and even considered by Bellini,
Verdi’s music brought out the story
as no other had done before. Verdi’s
Ernani is written in traditional
form with arias, cabalettas and group
scenes with virile chorus contributions
an additional attraction for composer
and audience. Verdi brings out the character
of the conflicting roles, and their
various relationships, so that each
has clear identification in the music.
This manner had, perhaps, been missing
in his earlier successful duo, which
had succeeded on the basis of the popular
appeal of their thrusting melodies and
identification with the Risorgimento.
The work has a density of musical invention
and melody that is perhaps only matched
by Macbeth before being equalled
in Rigoletto, all with libretti
by Piave, and the great mature period
operas that followed. As with the earlier
performances of I Lombardi in
Venice, Ernani had only a moderate
success at its premiere, the vocal limitations
of some of the soloists being to blame.
It had to wait until felicitous productions
at Vienna in May 1844, and La Scala
in September of that year, for full
recognition of its qualities. For the
La Scala performances additions were
made to the role of Silva with an added
cabaletta in act one (tr. 12) to accommodate
the distinguished bass of the time and
promote the role from comprimario to
primo basso. The work was the first
of Verdi’s operas to be translated into
English and was admired by George Bernard
Shaw. It remained in the Italian repertoire
in Verdi’s lifetime falling from favour
in the early part of the twentieth century.
Performances in the
major opera houses of the world have
been scarce, perhaps reflecting suspicion
of early Verdi as being superficial.
In the UK, Sadler’s Wells Opera staged
the work around 1967 but did not tour
it. I had to travel to London to catch
a first glimpse of the work in stirring
performance at the home theatre. Twelve
years later Welsh National Opera and
the Royal Northern College of Music
shared a production by Elijah Moshinsky
in easily manoeuvrable and evocative
sets. Both have revived the production
since and I have not had a bad night
in several viewings with different casts.
In view of Verdi’s easily listened to
melodic invention I am surprised at
the paucity of recorded versions in
the original language. An early Cetra
issue was replaced by the 1967 Rome
recording with Bergonzi as Ernani and
Leontyne Price as Elvira and it remains
the best-sung version (RCA). Regrettably,
the original recording had its rough
edges and it hasn’t aged well. A 1982
Hungaroton recording conducted by Gardelli
featured a vibrant Sylvia Sass and a
tightly focused Ernani from Giorgio
Lamberti and is now available from at
mid price (Philips) in a warm atmospheric
recording which has little to commend
it. The1982 live La Scala performance
under Muti has a starry cast of Bruson,
Ghiaurov, Domingo and Mirella Freni
(EMI on CD and Warner DVD). Bruson and
Domingo are in superb voice whilst Ghiaurov
sounds rusty and Freni strained. Add
the difficult acoustic of La Scala and
a firm recommendation is elusive. The
most recent original language recording
features the final collaboration on
record of Joan Sutherland and Pavarotti
with support from Nucci and Birchuladze
under Bonynge (Decca). Made in 1977
it sat in Decca’s vaults for eleven
years before seeing the light of day.
The reason is not difficult to determine
as one listens to the tenor’s tentative
start, the diva’s poor diction and lack
of steadiness in Ernani involami,
Nucci’s nasal sound and the glottal
Italian of Birchuladze. In fairness
Pavarotti improves to give a worthy
and at times thrilling performance.
The latest studio recording is that
on Chandos’ ‘Opera In English’ series
with Alan Opie outstanding as the King.
The foregoing leaves
me in benevolent mood in reviewing this
latest live recording from the 2005
Verdi Festival at Parma. Whilst I have
never had a bad night in the theatre
with this opera in the UK, I am uncertain
how I would have enjoyed this performance
from the 2005 Parma Verdi Festival.
The booklet photographs show a resplendent
staging and a DVD might have distracted
from some rather variable singing, particularly
from the male soloists. Marco Berti
sang a strong Pinkerton in the admired
Madama Butterfly at Covent Garden
in 2004, and which he has since reprised
in a revival. As Ernani he opens with
a very tight tone and is none too steady
either (CD 1 trs. 3-4). Although he
improves, his voice shows signs of strain
that I would not have expected, although
his efforts at elegance of phrasing
are commendable. More disappointing
still is the singing of Carlo Guelfi
as Don Carlo, King of Spain and rival
suitor for Elvira’s hand. He was the
strongly sung De Luna on Decca’s latest
recording of Il Trovatore with
Andrea Boccelli as Manrico. Since then
he has appeared at the Met as Iago and
most recently as Rigoletto. His singing
is too often strained, unsteady and
unfocused in a role that requires legato
and strong middle-voiced enunciation
(CD. 1 trs. 8-10 and 13). As Don Ruy
de Silva, Giocomo Prestia has a rather
gruff tone with a tight focus and little
tonal palette of colour. He expresses
his words and does try to create a character
within these limitations (CD 1 trs 11-12).
As the woman pursued by all three male
protagonists, Susan Neves’ Elvira is
the most committed and vocally appealing
singing and characterisation of any
of the principals. Her introductory
Sorte la notte (CD 1 Tr. 5) to
her Ernani involami and Tutto
sprezzo (CD 1 trs. 6-7) is a little
tentative, but once into her stride
her full-toned voice, with a good palette
of tonal colour and variety of modulation,
is a great strength to the performance.
She seems to cope much better than her
colleagues with the conducting of Antonello
Allemandi who, in his eagerness to support
his singers by allowing time for them
to phrase, puts them under pressure
in holding the vocal line. In the trios
of act one (CD.1 Tr. 10 and act two
CD. 1 Tr. 20) he ups the pace and the
Verdian thrill factor kicks in for me.
Likewise it does so listening to his
conducting of the choral contributions
portraying Ernani’s bandits, which is
viscerally thrilling as early Verdi
scenes of this nature should be, particularly
with the chorus in virile voice as they
are here.
The recording is clear
and the sound perspectives are realistic.
The accompanying leaflet has an interesting
essay about the opera in English, German,
Italian and French. There is a full
libretto with English translation. Like
all live performances there are interruptions
for applause, but none that are particularly
distracting. For those who like the
added frisson of live performances,
compared to more sterile studio recordings,
will make allowances for the limitations
of individual singers and enjoy the
frisson of the of Verdi’s melodies,
particularly, in the chorus and concerted
pieces.
Robert J Farr
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Reggio, Parma,
Italy/Antonello Allemandi 
