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Verdi, Simon Boccanegra: Soloists, Frankfurter Opern  und Museumsorchester. Cor der Oper Frankfurt. Conductor: Friedemann Layer.9.4.2010 (JMI)

 

Production: Oper Frankfurt.
Director: Christof Loy.

Sets: Johannes Leiacker.

Costumes: Bettina Walter.

Lighting: Olaf Winter.

 

Cast:

Simon Boccanegra: Zeljko Lucic.

Amelia Grimaldi: Barbara Haveman.

Gabriele Adorno: Carlo Ventre.

Jacopo Fiesco: Thorsten Grümbel.

Paolo Albiani: Kosma Ranuer.

Pietro: Florian Plock.

Captain: Ricardo iturra.

 

 Zeljko Lucic (Boccanegra)  and Barbara Haveman (Amelia Grimaldi)

Christof Loy offers yet another  minimalist production, as he has done again and again in the last  few years, and I  assure you that I have seen more action in concert or semi-staged performances than there was in this one, which was characterized by its remarkable immobility. There are a few props in the form of metallic towers and footbridges which add nothing to the action and which could have been there in a concert using sets from any other opera production (I saw it more than once). It is true that there are a couple of references to the sea achieved by deploying a painted fabric with marine motifs and  it is also true that the action seems to be brought forward to modern times, judging by costumes, always in dark tones. They would be perfectly appropriate for a choir in a concert.

For the sake of completeness, I should also add that there is a red velvet cape for the Doge in the Council scene (?) and a table with a bottle and a glass on it, with which to poison him. If  Christof Loy had decided not to offer such static and almost motionless attitude, things might have picked up on  intensity and if  If lighting had been exceptional – which it wasn’t - we might also have benefited a bit. But we were left with a kind of a concert version, which was probably very deep intellectually, but not for me.

 

There are some personal touches by Mr Loy here, although I find them mostly incomprehensible: which is  probably  is my fault. Well, maybe.  When the lights are off and the curtain lifts, even before the music starts  the stage is filled with the chorus members, extras and soloists, all of them immobile and silent. Three real minutes later somebody claps, which raised laughs in the house. After three more minutes the conductor attacks the score, while everybody on stage leaves slowly one by one. Too deep for me, that's for sure.

All opera lovers know that from the Prologue to the first act, some 25 years in have passed,  which Loy explains by having Fiesco, Pietro, Paolo and Simon on stage taking their wigs off, while we listen to Gabriele Adorno singing from somewhere inside nothing less than the  Ingemisco from Verdi’s Requiem, a capella, of course. With or without wigs though, Loy cannot avoid the fact that in the opera itself Fiesco looks younger than Simon and more like Amelia's brother than her grandfather, something else that happens a lot in concerts. The Council Scene - as I've hinted already -   is performed exactly as if it were a  concert version. In my opinion,  Mr Loy’s work is more nihilist than minimalist and these days I am probably too old or too simple to understand it, although I used to enjoy his  productions in the past.

 

The musical direction was entrusted to Friedemann Layer, whose reading I found slightly patchy. He had some good moments, particularly the Prologue and the first half of the third Act,  but the first Act especially felt fairly routine. The Orchestra gave a much better performance than the day before, with a beautiful sound coming from the strings. The best of the production came from the cast, with some outstanding individuals.

The protagonist was Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic, certainly one of the best baritones today and one of the very few true Verdi voices in this kind of role. Vocally, he was a powerful Doge, with an ample and consistent voice through the whole range, and singing with great intensity. With an ailing Carlos Álvarez, and Leo Nucci on  the way to retirement, I can't think today of a better vocal performer for Simon Boccanegra (Superman Domingo permitting) . The only point he might  improve on is the humanity of the character. Today Lucic impresses more than moves, but I am sure he will deepen more and more in his interpretation. Frankfurt was the first big opera theatre who believed in his potential and Lucic remains faithful to this city. Congratulations to both of them.

The Dutch soprano Barbara Haveman was a convincing interpreter of Amelia Grimaldi or Maria Boccanegra, as you prefer. In January 2009,  she offered a very remarkable interpretation of this character at Barcelona’s Liceu and now she has fully confirmed how good it was. After a rather not too bright rendering of the aria "Comme in quest'ora bruna", she improved hugely as the opera progressed,  offering a soprano of high quality, very uniform through the whole of its compass and well suited to the demands of the part. Being able to sing piano more often - as she proved sshe could do in the Council Scene would be useful though -  she could have more control of her tendency to show off her vocal power.

Carlo Ventre replaced Alfred Kim in the role of Gabriele Adorno. After his double performance of the previous day, it was all the more surprising to have him back on stage. His performance was good (including the  Ingemisco) with the virtues and defects mentioned in the double bill. He sang with something of a superficial approach to the character, providing too many decibels in more than one occasion but  his singing was always generous.

 

Thorsten Grümbel sang Fiesco and he offered a smallish but noble voice in the middle range, a somewhat tight high register and a weak bottom end. Although there was no announcement of indisposition, one could not help but notice that his voice did not terribly good in some zones, even in "Il lacerato spirito". Things got worse however and in the last act we all suffered during  his duet with Boccanegra. He would be an acceptable Fiesco when in good voice. The Swedish baritone Kosma Ranuer was a suitable Paolo Albiani, but his voice is somewhat too clear for this evil character. Florian Plock was good as Pietro and the  Chilean tenor Ricardo Iturra  made a positive impression in the role of the Captain, with a pleasant and well projected voice.

 

The theatre was almost sold out and the audience gave a very warm reception to the artists, particularly to Zeljko Lucic and Barbara Haveman, who were repeatedly cheered.

José M Irurzun

Picture © Wolfgang Runkel