I sat high up on the
stone seats in the glorious Roman amphitheatre
of Verona to see this production, with
a slightly different cast. Speaking
personally then, this DVD is a pleasant
memento of a delightful, atmospheric
late summer night in northern Italy
and I am delighted to have it on my
shelves. Whether it will necessarily
bring the same delight to others is
perhaps more doubtful.
One central problem
relates, quite simply, to the very considerable
difference between the huge space of
the Arena and the very much smaller
domestic space in which we normally
watch our opera DVDs. Rigoletto
is, in any case, not the most obviously
suitable of operas for the Arena; there
are relatively few opportunities for
large-scale spectacle and there are
a number of scenes which actually benefit
from the kind of stage claustrophobia
which the Arena is peculiarly ill-equipped
to create. To some extent these problems
– of which I was certainly conscious
(though not destructively so) as a member
of the live audience – can be partially
overcome on the DVD recording, by means
of the close up and so on. But this
generates another problem. The size
of the Arena – its elliptical site measures
465 feet by 360 feet – requires a theatrical
idiom made up of large gestures; there
is no room here for detailed facial
expression or subtle body language.
Characterisation has to be painted with
a broad brush. Postures and gestures
which successfully communicate across
the large spaces of the Arena can sometimes
look decidedly silly and over the top
in close up. Some of the switches between
long shots and close-ups are disturbingly
abrupt. So there are a number of problems.
With my fond memories of the real thing,
I was more than happy to make allowances;
others may not be quite so ready to
do so.
Musically speaking,
the production is something of a mixed
bag. I am an admirer of Nucci’s Rigoletto,
as seen here and in other productions.
He conveys the character’s inner pain
pretty well, especially given the particular
difficulties alluded to above. He is
powerful when in denunciatory mode;
‘Pari Siamo’ is particularly well done;
the cry of ‘Ah! la maledizione!’ which
closes Act I is spine-chilling. Later
on he perhaps lacks the ultimate in
poignancy, but he is never less than
a commanding stage-presence and his
voice, though without the bloom it once
had, is admirably at the service of
a consistent conception of the character.
Inva Mula is rich-voiced, possibly too
much so in the early scenes, but even
in the early exchanges with her father
there’s a suppressed sensuousness which
gives an interesting dimension to her
Gilda. She gives a beautiful performance
of ‘Caro nome’, the coloratura passages
precise yet gorgeous. At the end of
Act II both Nucci and Mula are allowed
– in a way that purists might object
to - to milk the applause and indulge
in a certain amount of vocal display.
I enjoyed it too much to feel like offering
much of a complaint!
As the Duke, Aquiles
Machado is not much more than satisfactory,
either as a stage presence or as a singer.
He has his good moments, but never quite
stirs the blood. Perhaps this wasn’t
a particularly good night for him? There
are no real weak links elsewhere, but
not too much that is outstanding either.
The choreography is rather bland. Viotti’s
conducting is wholly sympathetic and
generally perceptive.
So, unless you were
there, like me, I can’t give this an
unreserved recommendation. Nucci’s Rigoletto
deserves a place on the shelves of any
admirer of Verdi, and Inva Mula is very
well worth hearing (and seeing). But
the production as a whole is not of
the very subtlest kind – in part due
to the constraints of the Arena – and
beyond Nucci and Mula the rest of the
singing (with the partial exception
of Machado) isn’t of an especially high
standard. Still, even if this isn’t
overall an absolutely first-class production,
much of the opera’s very real power
survives and no lover of Verdi is likely
to regret seeing/hearing it.
Glyn Pursglove
for
details
Orchestra, Chorus and Corps de Ballet of Arena
di Verona/Marcello Viotti 
TDK
DV-OPRIGM [134:00] 
