Verdi - I Vespri Siciliani / Dunn, Luchetti, Giaiotti, Nucci, Chailly, Bologna Opera

I Vespri was composed for the Opera in Paris. The whole 5 acts, the required ballet, long and in French. It was later translated to Italian while keeping the French characteristics of the opera.This production is exactly the opposite of what Grand Opera staging is supposed to be. The stage is not particularly big, minimalistic staging and, most impressively, it is very intimate. The director, Pier Luigi Pizzi, uses not only the stage, but also the auditorium. People at the audience find themselves sitting just next to a singer or the chorus. It can’t get more intimate than that. Regrettably, the musical effect of having a great singer like Nucci singing next to you is lost in the recording.Although the plot of the opera is not great in dramatical terms, in particular its macabre ending, the music is beautiful and engaging, lots of great arias very well executed by the cast. In addition, the sound in the Blu-ray is almost perfect.In summary, a very interesting staging, great music and captivating filming, we can’t ask for more. Highly recommended.

I think it is true of Verdi operas that there are no really bad ones. They may simply be divided into good and better operas. Unfortunately, in my opinion, although “ I Vespri Siciliani,” is a good opera, it is nowhere near in caliber musically and dramatically to the three Verdi operas that preceded it chronologically namely “Rigoletto”, “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata.” There are parts of the opera that are tedious musically and dramatically and the stirring Verdi cavatinas and cabalettas are by and large missing from the opera. The parts for chorus are surprisingly weak. I Vespri’s problems may stem from the fact that Verdi composed the opera as “Les Vepres Siciliennes” for the Great Exhibition in Paris of 1855 and therefore likely attempted to compose an opera along the lines of the then popular operas composed by Meyerbeer for the French grand opera. Accordingly, the opera is unduly long consisting of five acts and includes a lengthy ballet (thankfully omitted from this production). The Meyerbeer operas are rarely performed nowadays and “I Vespri Siciliani” has suffered a similar fate and probably for the same reasons of excessive length and prolonged periods of dullness. Also, the Eugene Scribe libretto has many silly and illogical moments.Despite all of this, I think “I Vespri Siciliani” is a fine and even wonderful opera and I enjoyed this production by the Teatro Regio di Parma. The opera house itself is an exquisite jewel box that is more suited to intimate operas than to grand operas. The opulent gilt, cream and red velvet décor is most striking. Pier Luigi Pizzi, the director/designer has overcome the problems of presenting a grand opera on a small stage by using spare sets and by moving some of the opera’s action into the auditorium.The chorus often stands at the back of the theater behind the audience causing some coordination and sound problems. The principal characters often enter and leave from the rear of the theater rather than from the stage. The audience looked rather bemused by having an operatic character singing a few feet away from them as happened with some audience members. This type of theater-in-the-round concept takes a little getting used to, but after a while I rather enjoyed it.Apart from Leo Nucci who sings the role of Guido di Monforte the remainder of the cast are not well known in the USA. Leo Nucci sings beautifully and even manages to soften the rigid and ruthless character of the governor of Sicily when desperately seeking the love of his son, Arrigo, who is largely on the other side in the French-Sicilian conflict. His “In braccio alle dovizie” in Act III is quite stunning. I was struck though by the general competence of all the performers. Giacomo Prestia gives a moving performance as Giovanni da Procida, a Sicilian doctor who is a strong Sicilian patriot and who wishes to eject the French occupiers. His “O tu, Palermo, terra adorato” in Act II is beautifully sung and he manages to convey all the emotion that makes this one of Verdi’s most famous bass arias.Fabio Armiliato is very effective as Arrigo. I found his singing to be excellent although his acting at times is a little silly and unconvincing. Daniela Dessi as the Duchess Elena does a fine job in general but has difficulty with top notes. She simply was unable to perform the famous Bolero (“Merce, dilette amiche”) in Act V with any degree of effectiveness as shown by the tepid audience response to this famous showpiece. Her “Arrigo, ah parli a un core” is rather lovely but Maria Callas showed how this should really be sung. Ms. Dessi has a dignified stage presence. She is dark, attractive and every inch a tragic Verdi heroine. Her entry aria in Act I, in which she whips up the courage of the downcast Sicilians, is perhaps the most strikingly effective part of the entire production.The production values of this Blu-Ray DVD are very good. The video quality is excellent. The audio quality is good. However, when the chorus is arrayed at the back of the house, there is some loss of volume which makes it less effective. The sets are very spare consisting of very few props on the stage but are nonetheless effective. The costumes are mainly black except when brides to be, including Elena, adopt snow-white costumes.In conclusion, this is a very competent production of a Verdi opera that has some intrinsic limitations. I would recommend it to any Verdi lover who, like me, has never had an opportunity to attend a live performance of “I Vespri Siciliani.”

This production was a big success when mounted in Parma in 2010. The blu-ray is superbly done and should disperse any doubts about this work. Stage director Pier Luigi Pizzi uses an approach he has used before but never so successfully: he updates the action to the 19th century, to the period of the battles over the unification of Italy, and uses the theater's auditorium as an extension of the stage. This idea is far from new, but I never saw it done so effectively. The "breaking of the fourth wall" enables Pizzi to achieve a miracle of sorts: a minimalist staging with some of the Grand Opera effects that Verdi had in mind when he wrote this work for what was the largest opera theatre in the world at the time.For example, in the opening scene there are only three boats on an otherwise empty stage, and French soldiers make fun of and provoke the local Sicilians. Then Daniela Dessì (Elena) makes an electrifying grand entrance from the back of the auditorium. Clad in black and veiled she creates a charged dramatic field that spans the entire house, with one pole being the stage and the other the back of the auditorium. She glares eloquently at the unseemly pranks of the French on stage with a dignified, aristocratic disapproval and slowly approaches them, her imposing demeanor dramatizing her grief and subdued rage. The fantastic video direction by Tiziano Mancini shows us her grand entrance as perceived from the stage by the leering French; the shameful behavior of the French as perceived by the disapproving Elena, and Elena's slow, subtly menacing progress towards the stage as perceived by the audience. The combination of dynamic camera work, imaginative staging and Dessì's impressive charisma and acting skills create a thrilling theatrical effect. Add the sound engineers who created a sonic marvel that gives us a soundstage and ambiance that correspond exactly to where we see the singers/chorus in the house (with a realistic projection), and you get a gripping experience. There isn't a single moment that is less than completely riveting in this production for its entire duration.I had my doubts when I saw the cast list (regarding the tenor and soprano), but overall they all give superlative performances. Dessì gives a commanding performance with her unique, rich timbre, a total artist, a modern Grand Tragedienne. The score has a lot of dynamic markings that call for soft singing ("mezza voce", "dolce", "dolcissimo", "p"; "pp", etc.) and she has a full command of a superb mezza voce (light singing). The forte side of the piano-forte spectrum is subdued - the Diva economizes her vocal resources, which is understandable, considering the challenges ahead. The role's more than two octave range is a walk in the park for her, as is the coloratura agility that reaches its first-half peak in the short cadenza of her act II duet with Arrigo "Presso alla tomba ch'apresi", with its long trill. Now for the nitpicking: the role's demands gradually increase in the second half. Her act IV "Arrigo! Ah parli a un core" is overall superb; she manages the first two of the cadenza's descending scales, but they are just a warm up for the third, which she glides over rather than really touch the notes (but she does the trill). Caballè (and many others) did the same thing and no one complained (but no none glides like Caballè). So how is her act V bolero? How do you think? It's no better than it was in 1996 in Rome, so it's far from perfect, but if you consult the score you see that her only difficulty is to sing long lines composed entirely of sixteenth notes figurations à-la-Rossini fast enough (no, she does not interpolate a final high E...Jeezus!). But it's a big show and her elegant style and artistry are of the highest caliber. With Pizzi's help it's also a scene of simple, aching beauty and with the sound engineers' help it's almost a miracle, the way they capture the back and forth between Elena on the stage and the chorus in the auditorium. When it ended the audience paused for three endless seconds that made my blood curdle ("are they really going to boo her?...") before a "brava" ushered in the applause.Armiliato usually sounds like he constantly sings on all his capital and forces, probably because if he didn't we'd hear just a generic voice without a distinctive timbre. I always think he wouldn't last when I hear the forcing, but last he does and he knows exactly what he's doing. You need to forget all his previous performances, he is a huge surprise - it's the best I've ever heard him, I did not dream he has it in him. His tone is beautiful in a way I never heard before, his high Bb's and B's ring securely, he doesn't fudge a single note including rapid coloratura figurations, his phrasing is elegant and his soft singing seductive. Act V "La brezza aleggia intorno" (after the bolero) is cut, so no high D for the tenor (IIRC, some of the repetitions of the concluding act IV concertante are mercifully cut as well, and no ballet). On opening night he got into vocal problems in the second half and was announced indisposed before the second performance, from which most of the material for this blu-ray was taken. He bowed out from his last scheduled performance, so we are lucky to have this Vespri at all, because the replacement was not up to snuff. To be honest, I don't think Dessì and particularly Armiliato could have pulled it off in a bigger house, Vespri is truly scary for the tenor and soprano. It took a lot of courage for them to take on these roles.Giacomo Prestia also offers his best performance so far in the Tutto Verdi series (he also sings in Ernani and in I Masnadieri). Nucci offers great finesse, style and power - he is a reference in many Verdi roles. I don't think there is a better Monforte on record, other than his earlier assumptions of the role. I heard him in this role at the MET when he last sang at the house in 2004. I pulled out a souvenir from that run and realized in retrospect that this may have been the greatest operatic performance I had the good fortune to attend.The chorus is more than first rate. The musical direction of Massimo Zanetti (who also conducts Rigoletto in these series) overcomes the difficulties of singers and chorus scattered throughout the house with superb detail, precision and attentive accompaniment. The entire cast (particularly Dessì) seems giddy at the curtain calls - they overcame a supreme challenge and the audience is vocal in its gratitude (there is even a final cry for an encore!). The recording engineers deserve a standing ovation: Paolo Berti, Michele Ruggiero, Alessandro Marsico.This is a Vespri for the ages and if you are still not convinced about the place this work deserves in the canon you are totally doomed and there is no point even talking about it.

This production of Vespri received a great review in Opera News. Since Vespri is one of my favorite operas, I purchased it. It really is an excellent performance, part of the Verdi bicentennial series produced in Padua. I thought the singing quite good, even though the artists are not world famous. The staging is bare bones but effective. Not a flashy production but true to the story. This opera's ending is problematic-I don't think this director did it any favors. I recommend it for Vespri lovers like me (i.e. I have three different productions on audio in addition to this video and just spent five hours at the theater to see the film of Covent Garden's French version).

ダニエラ・デッシーは、ちょっと不調なのかナー？って感じ。男性3人は聴かせてくれる、大満足。

Although in this production of Verdi's Sicilian Vespers the action is depicted as taking place in what appears to be something like the early Nineteenth Century, the actual historical period of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, involving the conflict between the Sicilians and their French occupiers, was between 1282 and 1302. That aside, I have to say that I find this production of the work, staged in Parma under the direction of pier Luigi Pizzi, to be of the best. In particular, Daniela Dessi is convincing in the role of the Duchess Elena. She acts as well as she sings and the orchestra rightly makes allowances for the need for her role's strength of character to be convincingly displayed. Leo Nucci is outstanding in the role of Guido di Monforte, the governor of Sicily, and all the other singer-actors are well chosen for their parts and I liked their singing very much.. .This is the kind of work that benefits from being watched several times as well as in a variety of productions, even if it's only to compare how each copes with such things as staging, costumes, crowd scenes and character interaction. In this work the staging is simple but suggestive, as in the first scene with boats realistically positioned to suggest that they are drawn up on a beach near the sea. I always think that over-staging is never a good idea with opera. The French occupying army behaving badly is well depicted and the mounting anger of the Sicilians is palpable. The crowd scenes are realistically staged with brilliant acting on the part of all the minor characters. You kind of gets to feel that you're in amongst what is happening.Although I Vespa Siciliani is not usually counted among the greatest of Verdi's works, this production does him justice in that it is nuanced to reveal him at his best. No production will please everybody and what pleases one may well annoy another. .Moving a work from its original historical setting into a different day and age can work, but not always. In this respect I would prefer to see this opera staged in its true historical setting. However, I feel it best not to allow ourselves to become so vexed when this kind of thing, or something else we happen not to like, happens that we allow it it to distract us from enjoying a work overall.Unlike with quite a number of composers, there's something about Verdi that is warm and likeable. He cared passionately about a united Italy and the right of indigenous peoples to govern themselves, all of which we can see expressed in quite a number of his works, of which this is certainly one. Many top grade performances take place in the Teatro Regio di Parma and this is certainly one of them. I experience no problems with either the sound or picture quality when this work is played on my Blu-Ray player.

I Vespri Siciliani must me Verdi's most underrated masterpiece. Most people are put off by the fact that it has 5 acts, therefore they conclude that it must be incredibly long. It is long but not as long as some people may fear as most of the acts are under half an hour each. The total length of the DVD in question is 171 minutes, just under 3 hours, including titles at the beginning, applauses and curtain calls between the acts and at the end. The opera contains Verdi's most powerful overture and a number of very elegant arias, duets and ensembles for the principals.Now for the actual performance in question. All the principals are in fine voice and portray their roles convincingly. Nobody is truly outstanding, but all are way above average and if one is to judge from the applause they get individually, they are well admired by the audience. The work is given complete, without the famous act III ballet. This may be Verdi's best ballet by far, but I find it rather long (about half an hour) and it seems to cut the action dead for all that time. If you really want the ballet, then the DVD from La Scala is the one to have.The two main problems with the production are, first the conductor, Riccardo Chally. He conducts with slow and sloppy tempos that seem to take away all the urgency from the drama. Just compare him to Riccardo Muti on the other DVD of the same opera, from La Scala. He produces a much tighter and far more dramatic reading of the score. On an audio CD, try the "EMI Testament" live performance from Florence of 1951. Erich Kleiber is conducting, giving the work its full dramatic and musical potential that Verdi intended. It also has the advantage of having Maria Callas as Elena and Boris Christoff as Procida, portrayals of these roles that have been unequalled since.The second main problem is the Producer Luca Ronconi. Although the performance is blessed with the most lavish sets and costumes, sometimes overdone, as I do not think Palermo in Sicily has lush tropical vegetation, it is wonderful to watch. It is also set at the time of the actual Sicilian Vespers, near the end of the 13th century (reed Stephen Runciman's wonderful account of what happened, in his book by the same name). The problem with Ronconi is that the singers seem to be totally on their own, with no stage directions at all. They just appear, stand still, sing their aria, or duet and go out again. The highly dramatic ending of the opera is visually such a flop, that although the audience have been passionately applauding at the end of every number, sometimes too often, there is a very lukewarm applause at the end of the performance, with the audience having been let down from the anticipated spectacle of the Sicilian uprising against the French. An enormous pity for what would otherwise have been a very pleasant performance, worthy of 5 stars but I can only award it 4 stars and still feel somewhat generous.The obvious alternative DVD for this opera is the one from La Scala with Riccardo Muti. My biggest objection to that is that it is set during the time of the Napoleonic wars. Why? What does this achieve? The Sicilian Vespers are an actual historical event and happened in 1282, not at any other time in history. To make my point, there have been many films made about the sinking of the "Titanic", all very different and with various fictitious stories attached to the actual event. All of them place the event just before the First World War, in 1912 and never at any other time in history, as that would have made the story absurd. Why then not apply the same logic to an opera based on a historical event? It is unfortunate that we have to put up with mediocre operatic producers, who when they run out of new ideas, in order to make their mark, they start tampering with the essence of the work itself.