Past Production Reviews
2Les trois dames sont chacune dans son genre particulièrement bienvenues, la Meg Page (le rôle le moins important des trois) de Katharina Kammerloher, de la troupe de la Staatsoper à son aise et de bonne facture, l’Alice Ford de Barbara Frittoli, un peu disparue des scènes récemment et qui revient en belle forme, avec un timbre mûri et une assise solide, plus expressif qu’à ses débuts et assez charnu. Elle est une Alice digne, bourgeoise, arrivée, et compose un beau personnage.
A revival of the 1993/94 Gilbert Deflo production of Rigoletto is enjoying a sweeping success at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, where baritone Leo Nucci interrupted a long standing tradition, and encored the duet ‘Sí vendetta’ at the end of the second act, together with soprano Nadine Sierra. This gave rise to long discussions in the local media and among opera fans: as is well known, several conductors at La Scala have discouraged encores, starting with Toscanini. Muti had the same approach, even though he himself encored the chorus ‘Va pensiero’ in a Nabucco performance in 1986. That was the last encore heard in a Verdi opera and, notably, it was not by individual singers. Only Juan Diego Flórez encored the aria ‘Ah mes amis’ in Donizetti’s La fille du régiment in 2007 (but it would have been an exception for him not to encore that aria). The ongoing discussion had aroused the audience’s expectations, and at the second performance there were pressing requests for encores addressed to Nucci as early as the first act, along with much applause throughout. At the end of the second act, the curtain fell. Nucci and Sierra remained on the forestage and again decided to repay their fans’ appreciation: they quickly consulted with the maestro and the general manager with a simple eye contact and encored the duet, to the audience’s enthusiasm. Nucci has sung Rigoletto about 500 times and the baritone is by now a leading exponent in this role and identifies with it completely. At his side, American soprano Nadine Sierra, making her company debut, was a compelling Gilda: her youthful looks and her lightly colored voice proved especially appropriate for the naive and idealistic young daughter of the hunchback (who, by the way, did not have a hunch in this production). Tenor Vittorio Grigolo was the Duke. This singer can rely on a sizable voice, evenly colored throughout the range, with long breaths and good technique, but unfortunately his taste leaves much to be desired, and so does his discipline, as he often did not comply with the conductor’s choice of tempi. Bass Carlo Colombara, making his role debut, was a good Sparafucile, while mezzosoprano Annalisa Stroppa's small voice made her barely audible during the third act quartet. The classic sets and costumes by Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino offer a visually convincing setting for the action, and have the merit that they follow strictly the libretto. It is not easy to bring something new to the conducting of Rigoletto at La Scala, but Nicola Luisotti’s reading of the score was refreshing, and his brisk tempi captivated the audience. At the end, all the singers received a tribute of applause, especially rich for Nadine Sierra, and with a real triumph for Leo Nucci.
