Powerful singing, beautiful music and throngs of gorgeous people, almost none of whom do much rolling around in mud! If you are going to see Verdi’s I due Foscari, this co-production between the Theater and der Wien, Los Angeles Opera, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and the Royal Opera House, directed by Thaddeus Strassberger is likely the way to do it. Although it is by no means unflawed there are several reasons that it is a must-see for opera fans here in Vienna.
The largest reason is Plácido Domingo. Dramatically, vocally and musically he is an energetic force of nature. In this, his fourth production at the Theater an der Wien, he is completely compelling in his portrayal of the aging Doge of Venice, Francisco Foscari, caught between compassion for his suffering family and the corrupt Council of Ten who want to bring him to his knees. I’ll spare readers the obligatory superlatives when talking about Domingo, but basically I’m fairly certain that if he chose he could walk onto stage in a tutu and sing an aria to a sack of manure for an hour and we’d all buy tickets. I mean, we’d complain about the smell, but still feel like it was an evening well-spent.
The rest of the cast is also strong. Jacopo Foscari, the Doge’s exiled son, was played by tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, who handled the challenges of the role with ease. Although his timbre lacked a certain polish, it is a healthy, well-trained instrument in the body of a beautiful man. Equally interesting (and breathtakingly gorgeous) is soprano Davinia Rodríguez, who played Lucrezia Contarini, Jacopo’s wife. I spent half of the evening trying to figure out her voice. She possesses gorgeous tones and cuts through the hall in every register without issue, but on closed vowels – especially in the lower registers – it often sounds like she is singing through a long, resonant pipe or into a huge barrel. Love it or hate it, it is a memorable instrument and she gave a striking performance of a very difficult role. Last but certainly not least, bass Roberto Tagliavini, as the vengeful Jacopo Loredano, had far too little to sing in this production. A powerful, warm, well-modulated, well-placed bass voice like his is a rare and beautiful thing, and we would be wise to find him some more work in this city and soon.
In terms of the work, this early Verdi opera has been largely forgotten, having enjoyed only sporadic revivals since its positive critical reception in 1844. It has, however, been enjoying a bit of a renaissance over the past few years, and is musically worth a listen. Though by no means on par with his mature masterpieces, it is absolutely recognizable as Verdi and there are a surprising number of gripping and effective musical moments. The ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester were in excellent form under the baton of James Conlon, playing with the control and ensemble of a chamber orchestra and supporting the vocalists completely without getting in their way dynamically.