Was Giuseppe Verdi a revolutionary?
The composer certainly transformed opera, but was he a political revolutionary? Did he intend his operas to inspire the commoners to rise up against oppression in an age of empires?
Thaddeus Strassberger clearly thinks so. He’s the director and designer of the Minnesota Opera’s production of Verdi’s “Nabucco,” which opened the company’s 50th season on Saturday, Sept. 22, at St. Paul’s Ordway Center. In Strassberger’s view, this tale of the ancient Israelites summoning their strength to combat the evil Assyrians was intended as a call to arms for the Italian people to toss off the shackles of empirical occupation and form a republic.
It’s an idea well-supported in this colorful and superbly sung production. While most of the characterizations aren’t as vivid as the hues that adorn the costumes and scenery, it’s an admirably focused staging of an early Verdi opera that shows the composer’s genius beginning to blossom.
It’s likely that the germ of Strassberger’s concept came when he studied scene design at Italy’s legendary La Scala opera house in 2001. That’s where “Nabucco” premiered in 1842, and he re-creates part of its interior to make this an opera within a play, as if we are attending its debut. The proscenium is lined with tiered, gilded boxes into which members of the Austrian aristocracy waltz at the beginning of each act, security provided by armed soldiers of the occupying empire.
What they and the Ordway audience witness is a story of love and power in the Old Testament-era Middle East. There’s a “Romeo and Juliet”-esque romance between an Israelite and an Assyrian, but similarly Shakespearean is a royal heir willing to kill and cast aside anyone between her and the crown. That would be Abigaille, daughter of Nabucco (you might know him as King Nebuchadnezzar), and Brenda Harris steals every scene she’s in as the most vicious villain to grace a Minnesota Opera production in several seasons.
When a character slits someone’s throat within seconds of her initial entrance, you know you have a baddy on your hands, and Harris paints an Abigaille as explosive as the volcano erupting in one of Strassberger’s evocative backdrops. It’s a role that requires tremendous range, and Harris’ notes plumb up deep, dark menace before soaring skyward with anger or floating softly to earth when reflecting upon love in a sweet soliloquy.
It’s a show-stealing tour de force, but John Relyea is also exceptional as Zaccaria, the high priest of the Hebrews. His is a richly textured voice of power and authority, suffused with strength when he stirs the spirits of his people and quietly captivating in a prayerful monologue. Or rather a conversation with a small clutch of strings from the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, which sounded terrific on conductor Michael Christie’s maiden voyage as music director.
In the title role, Jason Howard uses his exceptionally expressive baritone to great effect, especially in an enigmatic final act built around Nabucco’s prison-cell hallucinations. But Howard falls prey to a flaw that runs throughout the cast: Save for Harris’ Abigaille, no characterization is layered or complex. And there’s a lot of stiff standing and singing, the cast creating tableaux when the music cries out for movement.
But Strassberger’s designs are bursting with imagination, and the Minnesota Opera is fortunate to have him on hand for this production and “Hamlet” in March, so we can watch his gifts grow.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at rhubbard@pioneerpress.com.
What: The Minnesota Opera’s production of “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, Thursday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30
Where: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul
Tickets: Tickets: $200-$20, available at 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org
Capsule: A colorful concept and a vicious villain make for a fine 50th season opener.
