Oregon Music News

Photo credit: Elise Bakketun

Seattle Opera reached deep into Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic canon to bring the rarely performed “Attila” to the stage on January 14 at McCaw Hall. “Attlia” is opera that mixes violence, political intrigue, and a love triangle into a melodramatic stew. When it premiered in 1846, “Attila’s carried a political message that appealed to people who wanted Italy to become more than a jumble of small kingdoms. That message, of course, is no longer the thrust of “Attila,” but Seattle Opera found enough undercurrents in the story to make a statement against warfare.

“Attila” was Verdi’s ninth opera (he wrote 29 operas in all) and is considered one of his less-refined earlier efforts, but it still gets the job done. The opera opens with a scene that depicts the aftermath of destruction following Attila’s sacking of city of Aquileia.  Attila is smitten with the bravery of Odabella, who was one of the women who defended the city. He gives her the sword that once belonged to her father, who was killed during the fighting.  But now she is a slave of Attila and is seen as a traitor by her lover Foresto, who wants to kill Attila and restore Aquileia. Meanwhile, Attila talks with Ezio, a Roman general and ambassador, but the meeting is fruitless, and Attila still wants to invade Rome asap. That evening, Attila awakens from a nightmare and later that same day, his dream is confirmed: the Roman bishop Leone tells him to leave Rome untouched. The plot thickens at this point, and there are some melodramatic twists and turns, but in the end, Odabella kills Attila and Rome is spared.

The libretto by Temistocle Solera and Francesco Maria Piave contains with bloodthirsty images for Attila’s men. For example, right after the curtain rises, the male chorus sings “Urli, rapine, gemiti, sangue, stupri, rovine, e stragi e fuoco” which translates to “Screams, plunder, moans, blood, rapes, devastation, slaughter and fire.” Later, the men sing about feasting on limbs and severed heads.  All of this is scored with loud and melodious music by Verdi, and without knowledge of the text, it would easily be mistaken as music for another tragic love story.

Seattle Opera used impressive sets that were designed by Charles Edwards for the Opéra National du Rhin in France. Many of the scenes depicted the charred ruins of Aquileia where Attila had to climb over tires and debris in order to address his troupes. The enslaved survivors (portrayed by the chorus and extras) of the city were another clear image of the horrors of war. Stage Director Bernard Uzan did a terrific job in finding just the right amount of shock and awe to get the message across, including executing three of the captured Aquileians at the beginning of the opera and the use a body double for Attila.

For this production, Seattle Opera lined up a cast that could deliver the necessary voltage in terms of volume and dramatic presence.  In the title role, bass John Reylea dominated the stage with dungeon-rattling vocal heft and a “don’t mess with me” demeanor . His vocal fireworks were well-match by those of soprano Ana Lucrecia Garcia in the role of Odabella. Garcia nailed all of the treacherous runs with an attractive blend of power and vocal beauty. Her searing top notes threw shafts of defiance at Attila. Marco Vratogna, in the role of Ezio, did not take a back seat. His stentorian baritone conveyed the anger boiling inside him because of the rebuke from Attila, his distrust of the Roman emperor, and his own aggressive ambitions. Tenor Antonello Palombi created a thoroughly convincing Foresto, and his voice got stronger and stronger throughout the evening.

This top-tier cast was complimented with solid contributions from Jason Stayden in the role of Uldino (Attila’s chief retainer) and Michael Devlin as Leone (the bishop of Rome).  The Seattle Opera Chorus, prepared by Chorusmaster Beth Kirchhoff, was in tip top shape, displaying intensity and focus when singing at soft or full volume.

The orchestra, conducted by Carlo Montanaro, turned in a stellar performance with impeccable intonation and engaging dynamics. The exposed passages for one or two instrumentalists – usually accompanying one of the principal singers – were also superbly played.

The costumes, designed for Seattle Opera by Melanie Taylor Burgess, were modern. For example, Atilla’s soldiers wore ad hoc fatigues that suggested what guerillas wear today, and Ezio sported a medal-bedecked uniform and a tie, reflecting his duo-role as diplomat and military man. Lighting designer Connie Yun did a marvelous job of heightening the visual aspects of this production.

Seattle Opera’s “Attila” will have five more performances (January 18, 21, 22, 25, and 28). Don’t miss it.