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| Diego Torre (Forresto)_ - Taras Berezhansky (Attila) - Gennadi Dubinsky (Pope Leo 1) . in Opera Australia's production of "Attila" |
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi – Libretto
by Temistocle Solera
Conducted by Andrea Licata – Directed
by Davide Livermore
Set designed by Gio Forma – Costumes
designed by Gianluca Falaschi
Lighting designed by Antonio Castro –
Digital content designed by D-wok
A Co-production presented by Opera
Australia and Teatro alla Scala
Joan Sutherland theatre, Sydney Opera
House on 12th and 14th March, 2020.
Opening night performance on 12th
March reviewed by Bill Stephens
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| Simone Piazzola (Ezio) - Natalie Aroyan (Odabella) - Diego Torre (Forresto) in Opera Australia's production of "Attila" |
Big, bold
and exhilarating, visually stunning and aurally magnificent, this epic
production by Opera Australia of one of Verdi’s early operas, performed in
Australia for the first time, tragically, received only two of its scheduled
seven Sydney performances before being closed down, an early victim of the Covid
-19 pandemic restrictions, which sadly also led to all its Melbourne
performances being abandoned.
The
storyline for Verdi’s ninth opera focuses on the character of Odabella (Natalie
Oroyan), who as a child, witnessed her father being slain by Attila (Taras
Berezhansky). When the opera commences she’s an adult, captured by Attila’s
army when it overruns her city. Impressed
by her defiance of his soldiers, Attila courts Odabella presenting her with his
dagger, which she secretly vows to use to kill him in vengeance for her father
and her lover, Foresto (Diego Torre) whom she believes to be dead.
However,
being opera, Foresto returns, accuses Odabella of unfaithfulness, and despite
her protests that she only stays with Attila for the opportunity to kill him, also
hatches his own plot to murder Attila who has managed to earn the wrath of
Roman General Ezio (Simone Piazzola) by rejecting Ezio’s proposal to divide the empire.
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| Taras Berezhansky (Attila) - Natalie Aroyan (Odabella) |
But despite
this interesting quartet of characters and their compact story, Verdi was more
concerned with using the opera as a demonstration of Italian patriotism, which
was very much to the fore at the time the opera was written.
“Attila”
calls for huge resources, both visual and vocal, to do justice to Verdi’s grand
vision, with its succession of glorious arias and massive choruses. Director
Davide Livermore has a flair for spectacle, and with this co- production, shared
with Teatro alla Scala, he doesn’t stint.
Setting the
production in the war-ravished Italy of the 1940’s he’s shoe-horned massive set
pieces of bombed bridges and ballrooms, even a couple of live horses, on to stage of the Joan Sutherland
theatre, augmented with spectacular digital images.
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| Natalie Aroyan (Odabella) in Opera Australia's production of "Attila". |
His use of
LED screens in this production is more subtle than in his controversial
production of “Aida”, in this instance, complimenting rather than dominating. However
his propensity for repetition, particularly with the filmed sequence of the
murder of Odabella’s father’s, tended to irritate more than enlighten.
Reflecting the
period when the opera was written, he’s incorporated a series of spectacular tableau,
complimented by freeze-frame sequences, particularly effective in the harrowing
opening scenes when prisoners are lined up and shot.
Making her role
debut in this production, Natalie Oroyan, as Odabella, was nothing less than
magnificent. Her confident bearing, compelling acting, and creamy smooth
soprano which effortlessly conquered the vocal complexities of demanding acrobatic runs through the full soprano range, and particularly
impressive when soaring above the massive
choruses, her performance in this role confirms her as a singer of
International stature and a jewel among Opera Australia’s current roster.
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| Diego Torre (Forresto) - Natalie Aroyan (Odabella) |
No less
impressive was Diego Torre, also making his role debut as Foresto. His
ravishing tenor and passionate acting elevated an otherwise pedestrian tenor
role into a highlight.
The sonorous
voices of bass, Taras Berezhansky (Attila) and baritone, Simone Piazzola (Ezio),
also provided a memorable highlight
early in the opera with their duet “You may have the universe, but let Italy
remain mine”, while Virgilio Marino as Attila’s confidante, Uldino, and Gennadi Dubinsky as Pope Leo 1, provided additional
lustre to the line-up of particularly fine male voices.
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| Taras Berezhansky (Attila) - Natalie Aroyan (Odabella) - Diego Torre (Forresto) on Opera Australia's production of "Attila" |
Combined with the pleasure of thrilling
sound produced by the massive ensemble and orchestra confidently conducted by
Verdi specialist, Andrea Licata, this stunning production of “Attila” was a
night of grand opera that few who experienced it is likely to forget.
Images by Prudence Upton
This review also published in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au
