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| Nicole Car as Luisa Miller Photo: Prudence Upton |
Opera by
Giuseppe Verdi.
Libretto by
Salvatore Cammarano.
Conducted by
Andrea Licata.
Directed by
Giancarlo del Monaco.
Designed by
William Orlandi.
Presented by
Opera Australia and Opera de Lausanne.
Joan
Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until February 29th, 2016.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
One of many
surprises in this first Australian production of Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” is the
number of beautiful melodies imbedded in the score. Which of course beggars the
question, why haven’t we seen this opera before?
Another is
the strength of the singing, spread evenly across the superb cast, each of whom
contributes thrillingly to the production. The difficulty of assembling such a
cast of course might be part of the answer to the above question.
Being a
Verdi opera, one would expect great choruses. This production doesn’t
disappoint in that department either, with the Opera Australia chorus excelling
themselves with fastidiously detailed chorus singing, while providing glamorous
mobile scenery as they parade ominously around the perimeter of the set.
Then there
is William Orlandi’s stunning set. When the audience enters the theatre it is
confronted by two huge groups of gleaming white marble statuary set on a shiny black floor.
One group depicts a family. The other is a formal fireplace. During the
overture, this statuary begins to slide backwards until it comes to rest,
up-side-down, above the stage, where it remains until the end of the opera,
when it slowly descends to its original position. The effect is as unsettling
as it is spectacular, particularly as action on stage is reflected in the shiny
floor overhead.
Finally
there is Giancarlo del Monaco’s extraordinary staging concept, which presents
the whole opera as a sort of abstract, in which the chorus, elegantly costumed
in black evening dress, process around the stage, while the story is acted out
in a series of set-pieces. This device works a treat, so that the audience has
little difficulty keeping up with the convoluted storyline.
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| Dalibor Jenis (Miller), Nicole Car (Luisa Miller), Eva Kong (Laura) Raymond Aceto (Count Walter) Daniel Sumegi (Wurm), Diego Torre (Rodolfo) Photo: Prudence Upton |
Unsurprising
however, is the melodramatic libretto, which tells the story of two young
lovers , Louisa (Nicole Car) and Rodolfo (Diego Torre) whose love for each
other upsets the plans of their respective fathers, Miller (Dalibor Jenis) and Count Walter (Raymond Aceto). Louisa’s father
is concerned that she is marrying above her station, while Rodolfo’s father had
planned to marry Rodolfo off to a wealthy widowed duchess, Federica (Sian
Pendry).
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| Diego Torre (Rodolfo) Nicole Car (Luisa) Photo: Prudence Upton |
To muddy the
water further, Walter’s retainer, the dastardly Wurm (portrayed with great
relish by Daniel Sumegi) has his eye on Louisa, so hatches a plot to imprison
Louisa’s father, and blackmail Louisa with her father’s death if she doesn’t
sign a document, renouncing Rodolfo and declaring her undying love for Wurm.
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| Nicole Car (Luisa) Daniel Sumegi (Wurm) Photo: Prudence Upton |
Spoiler
alert: If you don’t want to know how it all ends, read no further, because the
ending is a doozy. Naturally Wurm makes sure that Rodolfo sees the document that
Louisa has signed under duress. Rodolfo
is heartbroken, decides not only to poison himself, but to trick Louisa into
unwittingly drinking the poison as well.
After they
have both consumed the poison, Louisa reveals to Rodolfo how she had been
blackmailed by Wurm, and after declaring her undying love for Rodolfo, expires
prettily. Both fathers, with Wurm in tow, arrive just in time to witness
Rodolfo in his death throes, but with still enough breath to curse Wurm for his
skulduggery.
Hardly a
surprise, but a tantalising attraction, this production offers the opportunity
to experience Nicole Car in her first Verdi role as Louisa Miller, following
her recent overseas successes. Bringing a calm unsophisticated presence to the
role, she sings magnificently. Her clear, warm voice is able to soar effortlessly above
the ensembles, and still thrill with elegance and accuracy in the coloratura
passages. She is blessed in this
production with three outstanding leading men, each a magnificent singer and
strong actor, and her duets with each of them allow her opportunity to display
the range of her acting skills.
Her
relationship with her adoring father, Miller, played by Slovakian baritone, Dalibor Jenis in glorious voice, is touchingly realised so that it’s not difficult to understand her
willingness to acquiesce to the demands of the villainous, Wurm, to protect her
father. Diego Torre is such a flamboyant, passionate Rodolfo that it’s a no
brainer that she’s going to be knocked sideways by his attentions. Their final duet when they both realise that
they have been fatally duped provides one of the many highlights of this
production. And there is certainly no doubting her repulsion to the advances of
the loathsome Wurm, and their scenes together are electric.
“Louisa
Miller” offers great roles for two basses, and this production sports two of
the best in American bass, Raymond Aceto,
as Rodolfo’s scheming father, Count Walter, and Daniel Sumegi, oozing
evil as the aforesaid, Wurm. Their duet together when they realise that they
both may be doomed provides a particularly memorable operatic moment.
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| Sian Pendry (Federica) Nicole Car (Luisa) Photo: Prudence Upton |
Despite the
limited opportunities offered by the role, Sian Pendry manages to impress
as the glamorous widowed duchess, Federica, as does the rich contralto of Eva
Kong in the even less rewarding role of the maid, Laura. Curiously, although
the fathers of both Luisa and Rodolfo are very present in this opera there
seems to be no reference to the mothers of either.
Totally
unsurprising, but remarkably satisfying, is the rich sound produced by the Australian
Opera and Ballet Orchestra under the experienced baton of Verdi specialist,
Andrea Licata, who succeeds in exposing the boldness and drama of this
remarkable score without ever threatening to drown out the singing of the
superb cast.
This season
of “Luisa Miller” is very short; however it is already destined to remembered
as one of the most stimulating and exciting operatic productions of 2016.
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| Daniel Sumegi (Wurm) and the Opera Australia Chorus Photo: Prudence Upton This review also appears in Australian Arts Review - www.artsreview.com.au |
