Verdi : Rigoletto
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Let's dispose of the production first. It's dark and dingy, and somewhat nonsensical, because characters in simplified Renaissance dress evolve in a chain-link fencing and corrugated iron shantytown, and I include what's meant to be the Duke's palace in that. No doubt it's meant to look shoddy and run-down, but I don't really see the point. David McVicar's direction brings nothing in particular to illuminate the choice of decor. The infamous orgy of Act 1 looks as tired as the set does, and all that hamming it up from the extras is wearisome.
Fortunately, it all had little impact on the singing, which was, generally, of a superior standard, and particularly where the two male leads were concerned. Vittorio Grigolo has the looks and is the right age for the Duke, though he's inclined to bounce around a little too much. He has also developed one bad vocal habit, that of pulling back the sound rather sharply at the ends of some phrases, to the point that you lose the last syllable of whatever word it was. It's nice to know he has that kind of dynamic range, certainly, but it should be more judiciously applied, especially when it means he becomes temporarily inaudible in ensembles. The upper register was a trifle tight during Act 1, but the interval gave him the break he needed, and the rest was close to exemplary. No points for subtlety, but the production did not require it, and I'm sure he's perfectly capable under other circumstances.
Dimitri Platanias is a new name to me, and a most welcome discovery. This is a fine, ringing, bright-toned baritone, warm in colour, flexible and powerful. Again, not very nuanced, but it wasn't required, and I'd love to hear him in a different production, which might offer more possibilities. He had a good, authoritative presence throughout, and without playing to the peanut gallery, managed to elicit sympathy for a character that is basically not any more admirable than his patron.
Ekaterina Siurina (Gilda) has an attractive voice, sure-toned, fresh and clear. However, she has the worst diction it has been my displeasure to hear in many years, and I really hope somebody takes her in hand over it. The defect was all the more pointed in that the great majority of Gilda's part is in ensemble. Singing alongside Grigolo (who's a native Italian speaker) and Platanias (who's not, but whose diction is crystal clear), the swallowed consonants and suppressed sibilants became all the more irritating. "Lassù in ciel", her final duet begins, except that double-s was nowhere in evidence!
Of the secondary parts, Matthew Rose was his usual reliable self as Sparafucile, and I particularly noted Gianfranco Montresor's 'wounded lion' of a Monterone, and thought that Zhengzhong Zhou (Marullo) sounded very promising, though like every other chorus member tonight, he was overacting horribly.
John Eliot Gardiner brought his customary precision to the orchestral playing right from the start. At times, it's almost too precise, and a little emotionally detached, but the clarity and transparency is always admirable, and when he really does get it right - for example, the end of Act 2, with its galloping finale perfectly paced, or, indeed, all of Act 3 - it's genuinely exhilarating. So, high marks to the Royal Opera for tonight's musical values, but maybe it's time for a new production?
[Next: 19th April]
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