Francesco Meli (Ernani), Ailyn Perez (Elvira)

Believe it or not, a popular Verdi title such as Ernani has been missing from La Scala since 1982. Hence its long overdue comeback was eagerly awaited by the audience and critics alike.

At the third performance on October 6th a sudden shiver struck the public when general manager Alexander Pereira came on to the stage. But his announcement this time did not concern a last minute replacement; rather, he wanted to invite the audience to pay tribute to the great soprano Monserrat Caballé, who had passed away the night before. After a big applause and a minute of silence, conductor Ádám Fischer reached the pit and the curtain rose.

For this new production, director Sven-Eric Bechtolf set the action in a theater-within-the theater setting that, after the initial appearance of a group of extras meant to represent the audience of the play, boiled down to a cardboard divider separating different scenes with a couple of armchairs on the forestage where some members of the putative audience sat during part of the performance. Apart from this (useless) addition, the rest of the production was quite traditional, with sets and costumes that reproduced the age of the plot.

The vocal cast was top quality, especially for the male voices. Francesco Meli is one of the best Verdi tenors of his generation, and his voice proved especially suitable for the title role, which combines moments of pride and determination (as in “Io son conte, duca sono” in the third act) with others of sweetness and sadness leading up to his moving death at the end of the opera.

Bass Ildar Abdrazakov was an imposing Silva, and received a well-deserved applause after his first aria. His brazen voice depicted a noble and fierce character, only slightly fractured when he begs the king to leave Elvira as his only comfort.

Don Carlo, who in the course of the action becomes Emperor Charles the 5th, was baritone Simone Piazzola, who highlighted the kingly attitude of a power seeking character rather than focus on his attempt to seduce Elvira, and was most compelling in his aria “Oh, dé verd’anni miei”.

Soprano Ailyn Pérez was Elvira, eagerly competing for by the three men. Her agile voice sounded somewhat light for the demanding score, and even though she remained in control of the top, one could sense some effort in the lower range in her opening aria “Ernani, Ernani involami”. Things got better as the performance went on, and in the end she was able to depict convincingly her despair in front of her lover’s death.

The chorus also gave a very compelling contribution, especially with the perfectly tuned mezze voci in the third act’s “Si ridesti il Leon di Castiglia”.

The orchestra proved at ease in Verdi’s score, and Maestro Ádám Fischer conducted with skill, producing the appropriate variety of colors for an opera that features complex characters with different moods in different settings. The performance was successful and the singers at the end received a worthy ovation.