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VOICEBOX: Opera in Live performance/La battaglia di Legnano, composed by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, music path by Helen Becqué, refrain path by Robert Cooper, Jane Mallet Theatre, Apr. 7.
Opera in Live performance’s fiftieth anniversary season got here to a stirring shut with Verdi’s La battaglia di Legnano.
The corporate, whose mandate is opera rara, devoted its golden jubilee to works from the composer’s so known as Galley Years, which included Un giorno di regno (1840), Verdi’s second opera, and Ernani (1844), Verdi’s fifth.
La battaglia di Legnano (1849), nevertheless, is a distinct kind of beast.
For one factor, of Verdi’s 27 operas, La battaglia di Legnano is 14th, so midway by way of the composer’s oeuvre. If Rigoletto (1851) begins Verdi’s masterworks, it’s simply three operas sooner or later. Thus, La battaglia di Legnano is sitting on the cusp of greatness. But, it’s hardly ever carried out, the reason is, from my standpoint, is that its music isn’t what we’d time period standard Verdi.
Background
The opera was written as a result of Verdi was challenged to create a purely patriotic work to assist the Risorgimento motion which aimed to unify the Italian peninsula into one nation.
The opera is about in 1176, when the Lombards defeated German emperor Frederick Barbarossa on the Battle of Legnano. In 1849, nevertheless, Lombardy and Venetia had been a part of the Austrian empire, so this opera was going to have bother with the Austrian censors, in addition to issues with the censors in all the opposite impartial kingdoms, duchies and city-states that had been in opposition to Risorgimento.
Even Ricordi, the writer of Verdi and librettist Cammarano, begged them to alter the setting, and in reality, over the subsequent 21 years, the opera was by no means staged utilizing its authentic Lombardy locale.
It wasn’t till after Italian Unification was accomplished in 1870 with the taking of Rome, that La battaglia di Legnano could possibly be carried out as initially written. However, by then, Risorgimento was a factor of the previous. Actually, La battaglia di Legnano has been accused of being too linked to a selected time and concept.
The one place that noticed the opera as meant was Rome’s Teatro Argentina, who had commissioned it. On the time, Rome was holding Pope Pius IX as a prisoner (he later escaped), having declared itself a republic, so one can solely think about the sheer pleasure that greeted this Risorgimento opera. Actually, at each Rome efficiency, the final act, which ends with the ode to freedom, (“Italia risorge vestita di Gloria”), needed to be encored.
The Story
The rationale I’m giving a lot background is as a result of it explains simply how totally different this opera is from the Verdi canon, crammed as it’s with rousing male choruses, which may additionally clarify why it’s hardly ever carried out. As properly, the arias and duets should not as melodic or tuneful. There’s an edge to them, significantly for the boys, as a substitute of the extra widespread Verdi lilt. The martial aspect is entrance and centre. Actually, I’d name this opera a tough sing.
Sure, there’s a love story — Lida (soprano Julia MacVicar) believes her suitor Arrigo (tenor Scott Rumble) is useless within the wars, and so marries his greatest buddy Rolando (baritone Evan Korbut) on the behest of her dying father. Rolando is the chief of the Milanese. For sure, Arrigo isn’t useless, and a love triangle ensues.
Surrounding these intimate scenes are the political ones, and the male refrain had an incredible deal to do, expertly led by the inimitable Robert Cooper. There was a whole lot of a cappella work which actually uncovered the sound, so the boys needed to be in positive fettle, they usually had been.
Actually, the feminine refrain, though sounding luscious, solely seems 3 times — the primary offstage with interjections to the opening male refrain “Viva Italia!”, the second in Lida’s chambers, and the final, becoming a member of the boys within the victory refrain on the finish.
The Music
The music director for La battaglia di Legnano was Helen Becqué, a U of T doctoral candidate from Belgium, and she or he’s a keeper.
Becqué would possibly look younger, however she has the chops. She actually tried to make her piano sound like an orchestra, significantly within the construct she gave to the overture, though, throughout the remainder of the opera, her taking part in was fairly restrained, placing the concentrate on the singers.
In the course of the recits, she left the solid nearly a cappella, solely sometimes taking part in a chord for definition, thus permitting the voices to be uncovered au naturel. An enormous Becqué plus was getting most expression out of the singers. This opera had drama.
In studying soprano MacVicar’s bio, they appear to be brief on skilled expertise, however they’ve a voice to be reckoned with. Lida’s function was written with ornamentation up the whazoo, perhaps to compensate for all of the male testosterone that surrounds her. MacVicar needed to snake their singing up, down, and throughout the city, which they did with aplomb. This soprano can spin notes eternally. Additionally they have a robust prime, and may pour on the facility when wanted.
Tenor Rumble was glorious. He has a ringing, however very compelling voice, and what’s extra, he appears to succeed in his excessive notes with ease. So far as I can inform, he went for all the cash notes. Rumble additionally occurs to be an distinctive actor, so he had an incredible deal to do with the impression of dramatic expression. Will he ever sing Verdi in actual life? Who is aware of, as a result of his voice, at this level, isn’t fairly spinto, however he’s actually a expertise to observe.
Indigenous baritone Evan Korbut has a stunning voice, if a bit on the sunshine facet. Mellow and honey-covered, his sound is simple on the ears. As an actor he will be fairly dramatic, however, given this particular opera, I wanted extra oomph from Rolando — extra declamation, a extra forceful supply — in brief, I wanted him to be extra of a frontrunner. Nonetheless, he interacted properly with MacVicar and Rumble to make the love triangle work.
An astonishing seven comprimario roles had been lined by the refrain, the biggest being Barbarossa, sung by baritone Handaya Rusli. Whereas he seemed on the younger facet for the function, he gave as a lot command as he may muster, and was rewarded with sturdy applause on the curtain name.
Baritone Sebastien Belcourt sang strongly within the small function of the evil Marcovaldo (he could also be one to observe), whereas baritones Joseph Ernst, Taylor Gibbs, and Ryan Moilliet, acquitted themselves properly as the 2 consuls and Podesta, respectively.
I’ve to say that despite the fact that mezzo-sopranos Meghan Symon, as Lida’s companion Imelda, and Maria Milenic because the Herald, had small roles, each displayed a wealthy, full sound that caught my consideration.
And naturally, OIC’s creative director, Guillermo Silva-Marin, was readily available to offer minimal staging and fairly efficient lighting.
La battaglia di Legnano is an odd Verdi opera that was given the prospect to return out of the shadows, and it was properly definitely worth the go to.
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Paula Citron is a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster who hosts her personal web site, paulacitron.ca. For over 25 years, she was senior dance author for The Globe and Mail, affiliate editor of Opera Canada journal, arts reviewer for Classical 96.3 FM, and dance previews contributor to Toronto Life journal. She has been a visitor lecturer for varied cultural teams and universities, significantly on the function of the critic/reviewer, and has been a panellist on COC podcasts. Earlier than assuming a full-time journalism profession, Ms. Citron was a member of the drama division of the Claude Watson College for the Arts.
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