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Skilful Rigoletto set design gives a platform for some fine performances |
No punches pulled as Rigoletto’s new faces prove to be a big hit
REVIEW: RIGOLETTO
Royal Opera House
VERDI'S Rigoletto, directed by David McVicar, gets its third revival by the Royal Opera, with another good cast.
Michael Vale’s single-unit revolving set, tilted marble palace wall on one side, ramshackle lean-to on the other, skilfully sets the scenes, with atmospheric lighting and rich costumes.
No punches are pulled at this utterly depraved court; there is a real sense of danger, leaving no romantic delusions, although the noisy whooping of the orgiastic carousing is perhaps overplayed.
Veteran baritone Franz Grundheber gives a convincing portrayal as the hunchback jester, Rigoletto, but now sings with a rather too obvious caution, saving his fine voice for the climaxes, resulting in choppy phrasing.
Patrizia Ciofi’s delicate, graceful Gilda is admirable, floating the high-lying phrases with exquisite gosamer silver tone, though sometimes too light in lower parts of the voice.
The Far East is now producing a stream of fine opera voices: South Korean tenor Wookyung Kim is a real find as the Duke, singing with effortless bel canto elegance which more than makes up for his somewhat stock acting.
The many smaller roles were all well taken, in particular Raymond Aceto’s Sparafucile.
Conductor Renato Palumbo gives an exciting reading of the score, the orchestra playing well for him.
His reading, always with the singers, is only occasionally marred by a tendency for too many fussy ‘rubato’ tempo changes.
The duet when Rigoletto arrives home and is greeted by Gilda was the fastest I’ve ever heard, but was admirably maintained.
Helen Lawrence |
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