Originally published January 15, 2012 at 5:08 PM | Page modified January 17, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Seattle Opera's 'Attila' takes stage with guns blazing
A review of Seattle Opera's premiere of "Attila," with Carlo Montanaro conducting and staging by Bernard Uzan.
Special to The Seattle Times
ELISE BAKKETUN
The principals in Seattle Opera's "Attila" all offer voices of stellar quality.
Additional performances: 'Attila'
Verdi's opera in Seattle Opera production, with Carlo Montanaro conducting and staging by Bernard Uzan. Through Jan. 28, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center; $25-$213 (206-389-7676, 800-426-1619 or www.seattleopera.org).
Listen to an audio clip
Excerpt from Attila Quartet, with John Relyea, Ana Lucrecia García, Antonello Palombi, Marco Vratogna, and the orchestra of Seattle Opera conducted by Carlo Montanaro
Opera Review |
The rewards of "Attila," the early Verdi work that had its Seattle Opera premiere on Saturday, are in the nature of visceral thrills rather than the profound musical inspiration or psychological insight of the composer's maturity. There was enough in Bernard Uzan's problematic new production, presented on imposing sets originally designed by Charles Edwards for the Opéra National du Rhin in France, to produce many of those thrills. The orchestral playing under Carlo Montanaro's baton was especially impressive: The strings were sumptuous in tone, and the young composer's brash cabalettas sprang into action with an élan calculated to set the listener's pulse racing.
On the face of it, the singing of the principals was comparably thrilling. The outstanding bass-baritone John Relyea in the title role, Marco Vratogna as the Roman general Ezio, Ana Lucrecia Garcia as Odabella, and Antonello Palombi as Foresto all unfurled voices of stellar quality. Vratogna and Palombi, however, unfurled them all too generously. Palombi's singing in particular, abandoning the sensitivity he showed here in "Aida" and "Pagliacci," might not unfairly be described on this occasion as one unrelieved shout.
It was revealing, moreover, to compare his and Vratogna's insistent fortissimo with Relyea's performance: whereas those two gentlemen sounded vocally one-dimensional, even when Relyea was singing just as loudly there was always a sense of light and shade about his tone. And Garcia's Odabella, though understandably a touch squally at the top of the range, had the wit and understanding to shade her tone effectively at the story's relatively few intimate moments.
Unfortunately, quite aside from the absurdity of some of the costumes, the visual side of the production was even more disturbing than its musical aspect. Before the music began, we were treated to the sight of three prisoners being shot to death. Without this, we would of course not have understood that Attila was engaged in some pretty nasty warfare.
You think I jest. But what I want to suggest is that almost all such directorial additions and updatings stem from disrespect for the public's intelligence. Just as, musically, I would have given anything at many points for just 10 seconds of pianissimo, so, dramatically, I would have welcomed some recognition from Uzan that his audience might be able to understand the story's relevance for today's war-torn world without the importation of guns and modern uniforms to spell it out with mind-numbing literalness.
Bernard Jacobson: bernardijacobson@comcast.net
