It is perhaps surprising that Verdi’s Rigoletto is not up there with the great popular opera – La Boheme, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly et al. It has all the ingredients of a great dramatic opera and as many good and familiar songs as you would find in any piece by Puccini. In fact, no concert by Pavarotti would have been complete without Questa o quella and, of course, La Donna è mobile. Rigoletto himself is one of opera’s great tragic heroes, a pathetic clown in the vein of Canio in Pagliacci. Possibly Rigoletto’s slightly secondary position in the popular hierarchy is the fact that the main character is a part for a rather sombre baritone rather than the more lyrical and popular tenor. The production last night at the Everyman of Rigoletto by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House went a long way to demonstrate the injustice of the situation.
This was a lavish, sumptuous production from a company that is by far the best at bringing imported Russian opera and ballet to British audiences. There is a current trend in theatre for the curtain to be up and the set to be visible to the audience as they enter, rather spoiling the surprise. The surprise and delight last night was palpable as the curtain rose to reveal one of the best sets of its type I have seen in recent times. It was real old fashioned, beautiful scenery. It was like being inside a Pollock’s toy theatre or at La Fenice in Venice. The Palladian pillars and domed ceiling looked real and solid and it was only when a slight draught caught them that we realised they were in fact flimsy canvas on gauze. It is a paradox of theatre, and opera is theatre, that great truths are presented by means of illusion. The costumes were equally lavish, in some cases almost bordering on garish, but the overall effect was one of no-expense-spared quality.
And the music was just as good. Andrei Borisenko was excellent as the cursed, lumbering jester whose daughter Gilda is seduced by the licentious Duke of Mantua. There are lots of evil deeds and dark doings which all end in the inevitable tears. Ivan Snigirev as the Duke delivered the two great tenor arias of the piece, Questa o quella and La Donna è mobile, very nicely. Oxana Klipka made a attractive Gilda and her duets with Mr Borisenko provided many of the evening’s highlights. The full orchestra under the baton of Azat Maksutov never put a foot wrong.
As a lady in the next seat said to us during the interval, “Aren’t we lucky to have opera of such quality at the Everyman. I wasn’t expecting anything like this.” And she was right, this was a quality production. The Russian State Ballet and Opera House and producer Alexej Ignatow should be justifiably proud. ★★★★☆ Michael Hasted 14/02/15
