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Rigoletto Without Rigor
West Bay Opera's vision of Verdi lacks consistency but showcases individuals
By Philip Collins
Give good singers and a capable orchestra, Verdi's Rigoletto could make a knockout recital piece. Without a stitch of costuming or a step of blocking, the opera's sheer abundance of timeless tunes is reward enough.
West Bay Opera might have considered such an approach, for their current production boasts some fine singing and a pit full of competent musicians, but little else.
Weak stage direction, unflattering sets and lighting, incoherent supertitles and musical direction of a highly erratic bent obliterate the theatrical dimensions of Verdi's poignant tale. Richard W. Battle's costuming offers some visual compensation, but opera hardly hinges on what characters wear.
Thanks to some fine singing by the principal players, West Bay Opera's Rigoletto at least provides an opportunity to savor several hours worth of Verdi's finest tunesmithing. Most of the popular chestnuts survive, and some even thrive, despite the roughly paced, scratchy accompaniments elicited by conductor Ernest Fredric Knell.
Two casts alternate throughout the run. Friday's opening performance was not strong in ensemble, but arresting individual contributions we' performance in the title role was passionately served. He makes an everyman's Rigoletto, one who surfaces out of the fray gradually. Berges reveals little spark as a jester during the opening act, but his expression of Rigoletto's pain--once he learns of his daughter's seduction by the duke--speaks powerfully.
As the opera unfolds, Berges' emotional concentration fastens the production in place. Amid stumbling dramatic conditions, he remains true to essence and delivers a stirring performance. At times, the upper range stole Berges' thunder, but the humanity of Rigoletto's character resonated clearly.
Tenor Richard Nickol has proven his talents on a number of occasions at West Bay Opera, and his Duke of Mantua adds another memorable role to his accomplishments. Nickol's voice is a beacon, shining evenly throughout the highs and lows of Mantua's strenuous agenda of song. Fullness and radiance flow with natural ease from his voice.
Verdi composed a character of irresistible charm in the duke, and Nickol's performance is magnetic. He moves through the role dauntlessly and graceful--one smooth duke. Women's favors are at the duke's beckoning (one per act), and Nickol's confident performance is aptly suited for Verdi's vilest of Casanovas.
The duke's feigning of a virtuous student in order to bed Gilda in "Che m'ami, deh, ripetimi" (Oh, tell me again you love me) is slyly disingenuous, and when advancing upon the easy prey of Maddalena in "Bella figlia dell'amore" (Maddalena, I adore you), he hardly hides his halfheartedness. The most famous number, "La donna è mobile" (Woman is wayward) was unfortunately hemmed in by an unyielding accompaniment that allowed no time for the song's buoyancy and nonchalance.
As Gilda, the duke's chief conquest and daughter of Rigoletto, soprano Wendy Loder demonstrated the requisite wherewithal and gorgeous tone. Loder finessed the melodic acrobatics of "Caro nome che il mio cor" (Treasured memory of his name) with flair and beauty of tone. In a role of uncompromising challenges, she endured.
Dramatically, though, there wasn't much to grab onto. Gilda's harrowing emotional plummets were only hinted at in Loder's performance.
Early on, when spirited by the duke's false promises, Loder's joyfulness was ineffective. But as Gilda's lot turned progressively more bleak, Loder responded negligibly; her utterances of despair during "Ah, più non ragiono" (Ah, I can no longer reason) were unconvincing, and the death scene was more precious than poignant. In her duets with Nickol, Loder lent caressing rapport, yet the blend would have benefited if her use of vibrato were more discerningly applied.
Buffy Baggott makes the most of her single scene as the harlot, Maddalena. Her steamy interplay with Nickol--on both vocal and physical terms--brings much-needed heat to the finale.
The choral work in West Bay Opera's productions seldom measures up to the level of vocal competency displayed by individuals, and this disparity is especially apparent in Rigoletto, wherein the courtier chorus is assigned some of the score's most difficult and subtle music.
The choir got off to a fair start on Friday, but each entry seemed to land further from the mark. The rhythmically demanding "Zitti, zitti ..." (Softly, softly) chorus, which the courtiers sing while abducting Gilda, was pitched vaguely and poorly aligned. The light-stepping "Scorrendo uniti remota via" (At night in secret and undetected) was all but trampled.
Judging from the overall inconsistency, one can only guess what director Lin White had in mind. West Bay Opera's stable core of singers and instrumentalists merit more accountable and provocative leadership. Amateurism in design and execution of technical matters repeatedly undermined this opera's dramatic impact. The overall lack of theatrical vision sacrifices the performers' credible contributions.
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Rigoletto plays Feb. 23-24 at 8:15pm and Feb. 25 at 2pm at the Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Tickets are $29. (415/424-9999).