The Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa hosted from the 31st of March through the 8th of April a new production of I due Foscari, Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic drama that revolves around the interiorized conflict between duty and paternal feelings, and although the historical setting is quite fix, 15th century Venice, the substance of the subject at hand may be regarded as a perennial human struggle.
The first aspect noted from the beginning of the show is the scenography. The director of this production is Alvis Hermanis. He made the scene look minimalistcally clean, with very little ornaments or even objects: there were the symbolic venetian lions, chairs, and even in the last scene there was only a baldaquin in Francesco’s room. Other than these, there were video elements projected, done by Ineta Sipunova, mainly of the city of Venice. They were very well integrated, looking very much like real paintings or engravings, appearing and changing seamlessly, and respecting the colours of the scenography, which were earthlike pastels. This lack of ornamentation makes way for the deep subject matter of I due Foscari to take center-stage and be explored through the artistry of the interpreters. The whole show left the impression that everything that happened was metaphorical, set in diaphanous surroundings, just like Jacopo’s hallucination at the beginning of the second act, like a dream.
The role of Lucrezia was entrusted to Angela Meade. Her voice was very consistent and continuously equal in its expressivity. She made use both of its power, and of its versatility, executing very well-balanced nuances from pianissimo through to fortissimo, and making use of her impressive messa di voce. She built her vocality according to the character, as an honest and straight-forward figure, and a strong presence, but without overplaying this aspect; very rightly so, as Lucrezia could not save her husband in the end… Fabio Sartori interpreted Jacopo Foscari. Although it is not the lengthiest, nor is it the most complex tenor role in the verdian repertoire, Sartori managed to mark its essence and instill the sense of “pity” into the audience’s perception, which further potentiated his father’s moments of despair towards the end of the opera, and the impact these feelings had on the audience. His singing was on-point, too, stark, but not overly heroic. From the first contact with Jacopo, in the aria Dal più remoto esilio, when he exalts at the sight of his Venice, giving the slightest thread of hope to cling to, and up to his leaving into exile, he left the impression of the upright and innocent character.
By far, the most complex role in this opera is entrusted to Francesco Foscari, the Doge, and Jacopo’s father, which in this production was Franco Vassallo. The “burden” of this role is the highlighting of the conflict between keeping the sense of justice (reason) and one’s fatherly love (feeling). He built Francesco Foscari’s character with a very interesting crescendo, starting out rather mellow, in sync with the uncertainty of the result of the subsequent trial and Jacopo’s future, but getting more and more present both vocally and scenically, as the plot of The Ten to get rid of his son, coupled with the dichotomy that tears his soul – being the father of the one who is judged, and falsely accused, not being able to save him, because he respects his position, the doge – grow. This crescendo peaks after his finding out about the plot to get rid both of his son, and of him as a doge, into the aria Questa dunque è l’iniqua mercede and the last scene. His voice reflected the character very well, too: it was a full, imposing voice, worthy of the powerful status that the Doge has. Nonetheless, it also had that velvety quality to it which makes the character feel ever so human, and which allowed for that much-needed melancholic and sad touch, given the situation at hand. The stark applause and the intense shouts of Bravo that he got in this point are testimony to his artistry.
The “villain” Loredano was interpreted by Antonio di Matteo, whose scenical presence, through his deep and ample voice revealed exactly that, a well-grounded backbiter.
The ballet dancers, who were from the Balletto Fondazione Formazione Danza e Spettacolo “For Dance” ETS, under the choreography of Alla Sigalova were of a very sleek presence, used not only for dance numbers, but all throughout the opera during the ensembles.
The conductor was Renato Palumbo, who guided the show musically in a masterful manner from all points of view, whether it be the suggestive nuances in the orchestra or the chorus, or the unity between singers, chorus and orchestra. He was precise, rigorous, but, at the same time, warm and attentive towards the substance of the music.
