When you look at the Simon Boccanegra, a normal people provides wonder push up on your, meeting their ultimate demise due to a good confluence off destiny and you may condition. In the act, the guy manages to lose and you may regains a great daughter, quashes a wave otherwise one or two, and you may unites Italy with his passing away air. Many listeners revere Verdi’s masterful rating if you’re while doing so sniffing from the convoluted patch, however, Laurence Dale’s production to possess Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23 tends to make a great persuasive case toward work’s dramatic unity.
Brand new director has actually that time intentionally obscure, with towering set because of the Gary McCann that subtly highly recommend a fascist graphic. You to research might seem slightly unjust on the term profile – a person that is moral for the key, even though the guy dont entirely avoid the trappings from autocracy – nonetheless it underscores the truth that that man or woman’s saving grace was another’s tyrant. Dale employs extra-textual gizmos you to complement the latest backstory instead contradicting Piave and you can Boito’s libretto. The fresh director and musicians and artists perform a keen admirable number of specificity in the storytelling, due to the wider expanses of one’s Academy from Music’s stage and you can the new opera’s periodically fixed runs.
One could pay attention to within the Taylor’s voice the potential adjust towards good Verdi baritone within his individual best
From the pit, Corrado Rovaris unflaggingly aids the action onstage if you’re verifying the excellence of the get, you start with elegant textures regarding the stately prelude. By the end of Prologue, in which Boccanegra is actually raised to help you Doge away from Genoa, he whips new band to the a beneficial phantasmagorical frenzy, and therefore goes with the newest intense singing of plebian chorus. (Opera Philadelphia chorus master E Braden continues to work magic with their particular pushes – I would dislike to shed their unique in your area, but she are from inside the assertion towards the in the near future-to-end up being bare Metropolitan Opera concert.) On evening, Rovaris can make that hear familiar sounds that have the brand new ears, because as he ravishingly levels the fresh strings, wind gusts and you may percussion for the “Have been in quest’ora bruna” – while doing so to make Verdi sound like new progenitor regarding both Debussy and you can Berg.
To possess 1st outing from the term character, Quinn Kelsey continues to burnish their bona fides since the biggest Verdi baritone les plus belles femmes brГ©silien du monde out of their generation. Even in the event he never ever struggled having vocal projection, he best lyricism through the, shading his melting legato vocal which have recommendations of age and indecision rather than barking traces in order to Boccanegra’s installing emotional worry. His last utterances sounded correctly troubled, even if his strong tonal beauty remained. Towards assistance of Fernand Ruiz’s garments, the guy exhibited their character’s evolution out-of simple corsair so you’re able to grand ruler, and you may regarding opera’s after acts, he reminded the viewers one to Boccanegra remains a fundamentally a people on his key.
Soprano Ana Maria Martinez lacked a few of the hallelia, the newest child of Boccanegra that is increased because of the his archenemy, Jacopo Fiesco. Do not assume ethereally floated high cards otherwise a particular expansiveness of tone. A slight defeat crept towards the Martinez’s voice during the minutes, as well, however, full, she delivered a sensible and you will very music interpretation regarding an excellent Verdi woman that will sporadically seems quite and bare. Her Amelia try headstrong and you may confidant, even when it’s hard in order to comprehend what pulls their particular to Richard Trey Smagur’s hooty, overacted Gabriele Adorno.
Inside the an attractive continual moment, a white-gowned supernumerary haunts the newest periphery while the Boccanegra’s later wife and you will Amelia’s mother; she fundamentally leads Simon for the afterlife
Religious Van Horn clipped a royal, dignified shape as the Fiesco, although the character lies a keen octave approximately beneath the comfort area from their generally lyric bass-baritone. As the Paolo Albiani, Boccanegra’s turncoat coach, baritone Benjamin Taylor is a development, pouring miles out-of plangent songs for the what could easily be a great standard-topic villain.