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Before Verdi was Verdi
Verdi's "Oberto' by AVA
Steve Cohen
"Let's start at the very beginning" seems to have been the impulse behind the Academy of Vocal Arts' production of Oberto.
The AVA got an early jump on Verdi's bicentennial in two senses. First, Oberto was Verdi's first composition. Second, the anniversary isn't until 2013, so this was a head start toward an important year.
Verdi demonstrated amazing talent in this first effort, staged when he was 26 years old. His writing contains expansive melodies, excellent contrasting of voices in ensemble, and vigorous rhythms.
Unlike the operatic giants who immediately preceded him, Verdi created a more rugged and assertive sound. Bellini's and Donizetti's characters, when under stress, go into a minor key and sing weepy, droopy laments, accompanied by flute. None of this for Verdi's leading men or women!
His arias and cabalettas for the principals are gratifying to the ear, but the most outstanding writing in Oberto is a duet for soprano and baritone"“ the heroine and her father"“ whose wealth of affection set a pattern that Verdi would use throughout his career, as in his writing for Gilda and Rigoletto, or Aida and Amonasro.
No hint of oom-pa-pa
Oberto contains some melodic kernels that blossomed afterward— one of its duets presages a tune from Macbeth, which he wrote eight years later— and the prelude to Act II hints at Simon Boccanegra from 18 years later.
Immense credit goes to the AVA's music director, Christofer Macatsoris, for choosing this work and preparing it so well, outdoing other Verdi advocates like James Levine and Riccardo Muti. Macatsoris emphasized Oberto's flowing lines and passions while avoiding any hint of oom-pa-pa or of hurdy-gurdy, terms that have been used to denigrate Verdi's early compositions.
(True, Oberto's plot doesn't include any of the marching armies that invaded later Verdi operas. Its story centers on romance and jealousy.)
Standout soprano
The entire cast was well schooled and talented. Viktor Antipenko was a clarion tenor, and Scott Conner a sturdy baritone in the title role.
Special attention goes to Michelle Johnson, who gave the best performance of her career as Leonora, the leading soprano. Previously, Johnson made a fine Alicia in Verdi's Falstaff, but Oberto revealed her skills in a more dramatic role. Her projection was especially strong in the middle and lower parts of her range, where Verdi demands power— a promising sign for a Verdi soprano.
Macatsoris conducted an expanded orchestra of 55 players and a chorus of about 30, which included all the AVA's resident artists plus alumni as well as a contingent from the Delaware Opera Company. The singing and playing were expressive and convincing. Excellent visual reactions and movements across the Perelman stage gave the production more drama than most concert presentations.
The AVA got an early jump on Verdi's bicentennial in two senses. First, Oberto was Verdi's first composition. Second, the anniversary isn't until 2013, so this was a head start toward an important year.
Verdi demonstrated amazing talent in this first effort, staged when he was 26 years old. His writing contains expansive melodies, excellent contrasting of voices in ensemble, and vigorous rhythms.
Unlike the operatic giants who immediately preceded him, Verdi created a more rugged and assertive sound. Bellini's and Donizetti's characters, when under stress, go into a minor key and sing weepy, droopy laments, accompanied by flute. None of this for Verdi's leading men or women!
His arias and cabalettas for the principals are gratifying to the ear, but the most outstanding writing in Oberto is a duet for soprano and baritone"“ the heroine and her father"“ whose wealth of affection set a pattern that Verdi would use throughout his career, as in his writing for Gilda and Rigoletto, or Aida and Amonasro.
No hint of oom-pa-pa
Oberto contains some melodic kernels that blossomed afterward— one of its duets presages a tune from Macbeth, which he wrote eight years later— and the prelude to Act II hints at Simon Boccanegra from 18 years later.
Immense credit goes to the AVA's music director, Christofer Macatsoris, for choosing this work and preparing it so well, outdoing other Verdi advocates like James Levine and Riccardo Muti. Macatsoris emphasized Oberto's flowing lines and passions while avoiding any hint of oom-pa-pa or of hurdy-gurdy, terms that have been used to denigrate Verdi's early compositions.
(True, Oberto's plot doesn't include any of the marching armies that invaded later Verdi operas. Its story centers on romance and jealousy.)
Standout soprano
The entire cast was well schooled and talented. Viktor Antipenko was a clarion tenor, and Scott Conner a sturdy baritone in the title role.
Special attention goes to Michelle Johnson, who gave the best performance of her career as Leonora, the leading soprano. Previously, Johnson made a fine Alicia in Verdi's Falstaff, but Oberto revealed her skills in a more dramatic role. Her projection was especially strong in the middle and lower parts of her range, where Verdi demands power— a promising sign for a Verdi soprano.
Macatsoris conducted an expanded orchestra of 55 players and a chorus of about 30, which included all the AVA's resident artists plus alumni as well as a contingent from the Delaware Opera Company. The singing and playing were expressive and convincing. Excellent visual reactions and movements across the Perelman stage gave the production more drama than most concert presentations.
What, When, Where
Oberto. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 26-31, 2012, at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center; Grand Opera House, Wilmington; and Centennial Hall, Haverford School, Haverford, Pa. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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