Opera returned to Denver last weekend after nearly a year off, and it was — as they say in the business — grand to have it back.
Even better because the production of “Rigoletto” at the Ellie Caulkins Opera house felt just right for the moment. Director Bernard Uzan kept the staging traditional, focusing on the things audiences had been missing since Opera Colorado cut back operations last March: big voices and lofty sets.
“Rigoletto,” with its familiar arias and plot-turning duets, requires a delicate balance of all the elements to work. Singers have to show off without showing up each other. The orchestra has to make the most of the solo turns composer Giuseppe Verdi gives it without overshadowing the vocals.
Uzan arranged everyone in their proper place, and the performers took it from there.
Rachele Gilmore, singing Gilda, demonstrated why she is one of the busiest coloratura sopranos working today. She handled her impossible moment, those high notes at the end of the aria “Caro nome,” with assurance. Her voice has a lilting, human quality that takes nothing for granted and makes an audience root for her at every spot. When she hits, the crowd goes wild.
They went wild for tenor Rene Barbera, too, who sang Verdi’s selfish Duke of Mantua. He gets the opera’s most familiar tune, “La donna e mobile,” and delivered the ironic bit about the fickleness of women with a charismatic cockiness.
Those provided great support for baritone Gordon Hawkins, who had the lead role of the deformed court jester who turns on his duke to save his daughter’s honor. Verdi gives the character beautiful, sad songs to sing, and Hawkins plays them with elegance and depth. Both his singing and acting are interesting to watch.
Conductor Leonardo Vordoni took an especially assertive posture in the pit. Not every opera awards the woodwinds and strings such a prominent role in the proceedings, and the musicians played with personality and a striking confidence, as if they were grateful for the opportunity.
The audience was grateful, as well, for the detailed sets and costumes, and the winning performances, and for having Opera Colorado back in business after financial setbacks forced it to reduce operations. There are a lot of reason to go see this opera, and supporting a community resource is just one of them.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or twitter.com/rayrinaldi
