Giuseppe VERDI (1813–1901)
Falstaff - Commedia lyrica in three acts (1889–1894)
Sir John Falstaff - Ruggero Raimondi (baritone)
Ford - Luca Salsi (baritone)
Mrs Alice Ford - Virginia Tola (soprano)
Nannetta - Sabina Puértolas (soprano)
Mrs Quickly - Cinzia De Mola (mezzo)
Mrs Meg Page - Liliana Mattei (mezzo)
Fenton - Tiberius Simu (tenor)
Dr Cajus - Gregory Bonfatti (tenor)
Bardolfo - Pietro Picone (tenor)
Pistola - Luciano Montanaro (bass)
Orchestra and Chorus of Opéra Royal de Wallonie/Paolo Arrivabeni
rec. Palais Opéra de Liège, November 2009
Director, Set/Costume/Light Designer/Choreographer: Stefano Poda
Picture Format: NTSC/Colour/16.9
All regions: 0
Notes and synopsis: Italian, English, German and French
Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French and Spanish
DYNAMIC 33649 [129:00]
This is the Stefano Poda show. It is based on the words of Arrigo Boito and
music of Giuseppe Verdi written for their opera Falstaff. Poda is the
Director and designer of set, costume, lighting and choreography. Choreography?
In Falstaff? Yes. Oh dear, yes. The risk in writing this review is
to concentrate on the Poda input rather than that of Boito or Verdi. Here
Poda is omnipresent until the opera finally sinks under the weight of his
artifice and symbolism.
This production deploys a ‘one set fits all’ rising stage with side entrances
backed by a huge star construction concealing a staircase. Onto that construction
are projected various films, of shimmering water, letters of the alphabet,
falling leaves and more. You would be hard put to recognise the Garter Inn,
save for Falstaff on high, on wheeled consoles backed by bottles; or Ford’s
garden or house. A number of members of the chorus holding branches might
lead you to a wood but not necessarily to Windsor Great Park. But then, what
of the huge cross that rises from the stage in that scene and dwarfs Falstaff
when he is confessing his failings? Odd when you recall that Verdi wanted
a Windsor based on realism for the sets with talk of the scene painter visiting
Windsor to enable that to be achieved. He also wanted simple lighting, “...
there’s need only of a bit of darkness in the forest scenes ...” Really? In
various scenes the lights go up, down, on and off with no logic that I could
detect.
Choreography? Let that wait for now. Let me look at ‘Old Paunchy’, as Verdi
so affectionately described Falstaff. Indeed there are numerous references
to the size of his girth throughout the opera, “Falstaff the huge - king of
paunches ... the proud belly that kept him afloat ...” and so on. Therefore
it is a bit of a surprise that Ruggero Raimondi (Falstaff) has not the vestige
of a paunch – indeed not even a slight ‘tum’.
As a character, Falstaff is irrepressibly vainglorious. From benevolent despot
through self-deluding lover, he delights in mischief but is fearful of discovery.
He needs to be larger than life. In his younger days Raimondi could have brought
off these demanding requirements but now, sadly, the years are beginning to
tell. He was 68 when this was recorded. His stage movements are those of maturer
years and much of Falstaff’s character is sadly diluted. Vocally he can still
hold his own on high but his middle register tone is diminishing. So whilst
the ‘honour’ aria rings out as do passages delivered forte, much else
is but a shadow. In the opening scene at the Inn he lacks authority. His interaction
with Quickly has little conspiratorial zip and his assignation with Alice
is almost devoid of lyrical charisma.
Verdi described Alice as requiring “... a bit of a devil about her. It’s she
who stirs the porridge.” In her early ensemble with De Mola (Quickly) Liliana
Mattei (Meg) and Sabina Puértolas (Nannetta), there is initial difficulty
of identification with similar white costumes and extravagant headgear for
all more suited to Ascot than scheming Windsor wives. Virginia Tola (Alice)
is allowed to be playful during the supposed seduction by Falstaff but otherwise
this is a muted Alice that fails to take advantage of the potential vivacity
of Tola, her vocal strength and her growing comic timing.
In this production one could conclude that it is De Mola (Quickly) who ‘stirs
the pot’. She has a lovely deep creamy sound and ‘Reverenza’ is delivered
with delicious (ironic) respect. Unfortunately when traversing on high and
particularly at forte her voice develops a wobble which detracts from
an otherwise comfortable warm tone.
Verdi regretted that the role of Meg was comparatively small: Mattei very
ably despatches it with her pleasing mellow timbre. Sabina Puértolas as Nannetta
completes the female quartet. Vocally she is a delight: bell-like clarity
of tone, floated notes and a beautiful pianissimo.
Boito wrote that the love between Nannetta and Fenton “... must come in frequent
bouts - they will keep on kissing - boldly - with brief, very rapid little
dialogues. ..: it will be a most lively, merry love ...”(Letter from Boito
to Verdi quoted in J. Budden The Operas of Verdi Vol. 3 p.422). Not
here it isn’t. They have guardian angels who apparently control their movements.
Whilst Simu (Fenton) delivers his aria Puértolas walks across stage front
in slow motion. All a great pity because it distracts from Fenton’s steady
and clear tone. When the two repeat their haunting motif, the angels raise
a finger to their lips - admonishing quiet?
When Puértolas in her role as the Queen of the Fairies, delivers her lyrical
instructions with enchanting sound standing on top of a console, the first
distraction is a figure writhing to her front stage right, in apparent torment;
the second is the substitution of the fairies by an almost static chorus of
nuns.
Ford’s aria of jealousy is delivered without serious diversions. Luca Salsi
(Ford) can therefore move from self-doubt through cynicism to outrage and
vengeance without distraction. He does it all well as he so organises the
chaotic search for Falstaff. This is a strong performance with Salsi sounding
in command of the role focused on note, phrase and line.
Gregory Bonfatti is a slightly sharp-timbred Dr Caius taking such few opportunities
to shine vocally as are given. Pietro Picone (Bardolfo) and Luciano Montanaro
(Pistola) are disappointing neither having vocal strength and neither afforded
the opportunity to turn the roles into comedy.
Musically the opera should be a lyrical rollicking roller-coaster of comedy
until a pause for breath at the beginning of the last act. With Arrivabeni
the orchestra hit all the notes but without dashing excitement. There are
occasional mini pauses which left me trying to urge them on.
There’s a disappointing last act without any prodding of Falstaff. It’s a
case of just the cast and extras moving back and forth across stage with rotating
hand movements. The two couples for the ‘weddings’ are mounted on consoles
from the first act - without the bottles - like figures on top of a wedding
cake. Finally did I really see projected film of war-scenes during the thirty-plus
camera-shot changes in the last four minutes?
DVDs of Falstaff are many. For a conventional approach that crackles
and fizzes, I would watch again and again the 1976 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle production
at Glyndebourne - Arthaus Musik 101083 (see
review).
For an updated version try another Glyndebourne production on Opus Arte OA
1021D with Christopher Purvis in the title role. This is the 2009 production
by Richard Jones with distinctive costumes and clear camera-work. No doubts
here about the plots and sub-plots. The updating makes for some curious anachronisms
in the last act but otherwise is an accurate reflection of late-1940s suburbia.
Vladimir Jurowski ensures an excellent stage and pit balance taking the music
slightly more slowly but thereby enabling cast and musicians to extract every
nuance.
In conclusion, accepting that the DVD being reviewed is the music and words
of Verdi and Boito, you could look at it as an imaginative dateless setting
with white and black costumes, extras, choreography, film and religious overtones
all to stimulate the mind. But on any level this is not a beginner’s Falstaff.
Robert McKechnie
A production for aficionados who know Falstaff well.