The Italian provinces have plenty to offer the operatic world and Emilia Romagna, in particular, has several theatres that co-produce shows that are worth travelling for. This Don Carlo has already been staged at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza, and at the Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni in Modena this autumn, landing now in Reggio Emilia for a performance at the Teatro Valli (the next stop will be at the Teatro Galli in Rimini, with a different cast).
The version chosen is the “Milano” version, in four acts in Italian, from 1884. Joseph Franconi-Lee's production is a revival from 2012 and drew inspiration from Luchino Visconti's famous production in the 1960s, embracing an ultra-traditional approach. Exquisite period costumes by Alessandro Ciammarughi add to the authenticity. While some may lament the minimal Personenregie, the overall concept proves effective. The use of painted backdrops, tableaux vivant, opulent costumes, and even the “park and bark” all contributed to evoke a charming sense of a bygone era.
Conductor Jordi Bernàcer achieved a crisp, polished reading of Verdi's score, notwithstanding some inaccuracy of the Orchestra dell'Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini, particularly in the auto-da-fé scene. Globally, the performance of the orchestra was enjoyable and emotionally charged. At times they tended to overpower the singers, especially at the beginning, but soon the conductor found the correct balance. The chorus in this opera has heavy obligations, and the Coro Lirico di Modena was in short supply – not of preparation or skills, but of numbers. They were simply too few, and it was hard for them to produce the necessary volume. In the auto-da-fé we had only four Flemish deputies and another four monks; the feeling was that the chorus was stretched very thin. Nevertheless, they sang with commitment and elegance.
The singing cast was excellent. Piero Pretti was impressive in the title role. His tenor showed squillo and beautiful high notes, with a remarkable ease in quickly switching between the different moods of the character. His interpretation had just the right amount of mental instability both in his proclamations of love and in his heroic dreams. Anna Pirozzi affirmed her status as one of the prominent Verdian sopranos of our times. Her voice has tremendous power and beautiful metal in the upper register but is also capable of heart-melting pianissimi. Her Elisabetta was unmovable in her sense of dignity and duty, but still capable of showing vulnerability. She sang “Non pianger, mia compagna” to her lady-in-waiting, just cast out from Spain, with the turmoil and the emotion of the recent duet with Don Carlo still in her voice, calming down little by little, the voice finding more mellow, sublime accents. It was great.
Filippo II was sung by Michele Pertusi, who gave a demonstration in character interpretation. His identification with the king was complete; it was clear in every gesture, in every eye movement, his physical reactions spontaneous, natural, and perfectly a tempo. His Filippo was arrogant, vengeful, quick to anger, desperately alone. His beautiful bass was supported by a remarkable breath technique and his knowledge of bel canto. His legato in “Ella giammai m’amò” was glorious, yet he never indulged only in the beauty of the melodic line. It was never pursued for its own sake; instead, it always served the emotional moment. And, last but not least, he really pulled off the silken black stockings!
Rodrigo was Ernesto Petti, his baritone smooth and pleasant, just a bit cloudy at times. His duet with Filippo was one of the highlights of the evening, the complexity of their relationship displayed in every note. He showed an amazing breath technique in his death scene, the melody slowly unravelling with no breaks of any sort, an apotheosis of legato.
The singer interpreting Princess Eboli was a pleasant surprise. Teresa Romano sang with a burnished mezzo, powerful in the lower register and brilliant in the high notes, with almost unnoticeable passaggio. She enlivened a more mischievous than criminal Eboli, driven by a quick, passionate temper. She was a bit uneven in the Veil Song, although she still managed all the ornamentations reasonably. After that, she settled well and took possession of the character, culminating in a remarkable “O don fatale”.
The Grand Inquisitor was Ramaz Chikviladze, the only non-Italian in the cast, and it did show in his less than accurate pronunciation. He had beautiful, booming low notes, but his bass was not very homogeneous and lost strength in other areas. He didn’t seem to manage the terror-inducing voice one associates with this character. The cast was completed by Andrea Pellegrini (the monk), Michela Antenucci (Tebaldo and the Voice from Heaven) and Andrea Galli (the Herald and Lerma) who all contributed to a resounding success.
