by Sam Juliano
Verdi’s Attila was written in 1846, but this ninth opera from one of opera’s greatest geniuses has, until this year escaped the attention of planning executives at the Metropolitan Opera, who have shunned the work, largely due to uneasiness with the demand on the singers. But as part of the company’s commitment to bold resurrections of harmonic works with strong prospective appeal to the core traditionalists, Attila received some impassioned contributions from the director, set designer, singers, and especially veteran conductor extraordinaire Ricardo Muti, who proved to the world that this opera is a rhythmically charged work, with an abandance of solos, and rich musical lines. With full choruses at the disposal of a polished orchestra who faithfully transcribed Verdi’s lyricism in supple chords and rifts, Muti demonstrated that as a stand alone, Atilla’s music is far from the lowest bracket of the composer’s work. And when the singing is considered, it’s nearly a towering achievement. I’d go as far as to contend that it belongs in a short group after La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Aida and Otello, with the likes of Nabucco, La Frorza Del Destino, Un Ballo in Maschera, Simon Bocanegra, and Falstaff. On the best of days it may possibly lead that group, and such was certainly the case on the Monday night I was in attendance. This was a visionary performance in stark, imaginary staging, forceful singing and rich orchestration, which compellingly blends the youthful, patriotic vigor of its then young composer with the nuance and human insight that would become the hallmark of his long career that included 28 operas.
Attila, set in the mid-fifth century, tells the story of the invasion of Italy by the ruthless title character, who rules the “Huns” is a “bel-canto” opera, written at a time when the works of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, were in favor in Italy and throughout Europe. The only Verdi opera to feature a title role for bass voice, the opera is set in various resonant locales in Italy, amid the burning ruins of the city of Aquileia by the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, near the swamps of the lagoon where the city of Venice will be built; in virgin forests, and outside of and within sight of Rome. The three act work (with a prologue) explores the confrontation 0f the corrupt and failing Roman Empire with the invading barbarian hordes led by the aforementioned Attila the Hun. Both sides are changed by this encounter, and a new order emerges. Although a historical epic, Attila maintains an intense dramatic and musical economy. Verdi emphasizes the individuals rather than abstract ideas, and created a memorable quartet of leads for this opera–presenting the barbarians, and especially Attila, as more honest in their intentions and straightforward in their actions than the Italians. Narratively, the work describes how Attila, after the invasion, is stopped at the gates of Rome, and ultimately is ambushed and killed by the Italian slave Odabella, who had vowed to avenge her father–murdered by the Huns–and with whom Attila falls in love on the battlefield at the beginning of the opera.
Basically Verdi weaves together several thematic strands here: a poignant love story; a historical fresco that created for audiences at the time (1846) a telling parallel between Italian history at the end of the Roman Empire and the struggle for independence by the Italians against their Austrian occupiers; a homage to the city of Venice, which commisioned the opera, and a rather ambiguous vision of paganism humbled by confrontation with the Catholic faith. Director Pierre Audi suggests that Attila is maligned with a ‘problematic dramatic structure,’ but that it is still ‘effectively powered by music of remarkable invention and energy.” Of course, when one looks at Verdi’s career, it can be easily seen that his early opera are largely “singer’s operas,” meaning the various dramas they contain, both ppersonal and political, are communicated directly through the vocal espressivity of the singers, although this is equally demanding of the orchestra and chorus.
Says Audi: “Together with Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, and Miuccia Prada, it was felt that telling this story in a poetic, stylized way, that brought it closer to a Greek tragedy was preferable to the illustrative opulence of a historical epic spectable.”
The desolate vision of the rubble of destruction that symbolizes a battlefield and the subliminal prieval mystery and danger of the forest are the two visual themes of the production. Audi stages the interaction of the five characters much like a Wagner production, with the inherent intensity that informs the epic scope of the German conductor’s long epics, and the tragedy here is Shakespearean, with Attila, whose journey through the opera is to relive the fate that leads to his own death, a death he seems to have staged himself. One by one, the actors of his last supper (the banquet in Act II) fight to serve Attila the last blow, and through the tensions that bring them together, the audience discovers a world of chaos and anarchy, dangerously breeding nationalism and religious fervour in its quest for freedom from the invaders. The seemingly superficial storyline of Attila was given far more profundity with its thematic essence, which includes the spirtual and poetic dimension of the work, at the expense of a predominant militarist approach, which would diminish the deeper and more artistically satisfying context.
Ildar Abdrazakov is a compelling Russian bass tenor, who is captivating in the lead role, even as a few critics seem to be criticizing his range. This is a rich and expressive voice that conveys the thunder of this larger than life character, who steadily becomes more and more vulnerable as the opera plays out. There’s a celestial power too in soprano Violeta Urmana’s performance as Odabella, and Carlos Alvarez sung with purpose and distinction as the traitorous Roman general Ezio. And both the tenor Ramon vargas and tenor Russell Thomas as the knight, Aquileia and Uldino respectively, did nothing to mar the uniform excellence of the singing.
Shapes and abstract expanses are used most effectively on stage, especially in the prolonged battlefield section of Act I, which is basically a pile of stones. The scenes with extensive greenery is rich and eye-catching, and there’s a fantasy quality to the costumes, which in this instance may have been a bit over-the-top.
But this is an Atilla with power and grandeur, another mighly resurrection of a work once thought to be as hopelessly doomed as the title character. it’s a shining moment.
Excellent job, Sam! The radio broadcast was so tantalizing I wished I could have been there. If a seldom staged work of Verdi is this impressive, you can’t help but wonder what other treasures are out there waiting to be heard. Thanks for your vivid reporting of the Met season – I look forward to reading more of your opera reviews.
Robert: Once again your willingness and enthusiasm in imparting your particular expertise to the site’s opera postings, is deeply appreciated. Yes, this has been a banner year at the Met, where ATILLA, FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD and THE NOSE has raised the bar for success in new stagings, but perhaps more than that they have resurrected scores that are now seen as far greater than ever imagined. Hence, we are now moving through an operatic renaissance, and we are lucky to be alive to witness this, methinks. I thank you so much for your kind words too.
Sam, have you checked amazon? The DVD that you own (La Scala) with the manila cover that was conducted by Ricardo Muti, and featured Samuel Ramey is now going for $250.00. Do you really like it that much? After reading this incredible review I guess the answer is obvious. I’ve heard only great things about it, and your report has me confident they’ll give it another run next year. Fantastic musical and historical perspective woven in. Seems like this was another minimalist staging.
Well Frederick I just did now, and I got a good chuckle! I still won’t sell, as it’s fun owning a super rare DVD. But of course if it’s repressed, the value here will dip to nothing. That’s the gamble a collector takes. And having Muti conducting this La Scala production is an added bonus, when trying to have some kind of a visual record of the Met staging. I agree ATILLA will get another un, maybe in two years as per usual Met custom. The staging was minimalist within the parameters I described in the review, but it was most eefective and eye-filling. Thanks Fred once again for being the great opera fan that you are.
Giuseppe Verdi? Yes! But this particular opera is lost on me. I have no doubt to contest what you are saying here (and you must not get angry at me for stating something I simply must, and that is that this is a stunning review that stands with the best you’ve ever written) but I’ve not yet heard the music. There aren’t many recordings, and you said that it hasn’t been staged in over 100 years. Mr. Webb makes a succinct point when he says that there are probably a number of others we don’t know about that may prove huge successes. That Russian bass is interesting. But I would have to agree that having Muti is the key.
Thanks again Frank, for the typically insightful response here Frank, and for your sustained support for my opera reviews and over-the-top praise. As I stated ATILLA is a Verdi opera that is experiencing an amazing critical upswing.
An interesting and compelling write up!
As always Michael my very good friend, thanks for the support and kind words. I did enjoy writing this one up.
I heard the broadcast on WQXR, with Midge Woolsey commentating, and I’ll agree with ROBERT WEBBS sentiment that even a bad day with Verdi is better than a great day with Rossini or Puccini (and I love both of them!). I don’t think it was possible for Verdi to write a bad opera as I feel that it was not possible for Beethoven to compose a bad symphony or Stravinski to compose a bad ballet. Is Verdi the greatest composer in Opera history? No. But, damn, the guy really had his shit together. ATILLA, like his better known works, follows a simple dramatic narrative structure and is then dotted, almost magically, with flowing seques into big vocal numbers or chorus moments that make you glad to be alive. My favorite is LA FORZA DEL DESTINO (with his OTELLO and LA TRAVIATA rearing up to snatch second place), but I welcome ATILLA and hope its new found spotlight brings it further into the fold of rediscovered gem. Wonderful, insightful and tightly written piece, Sam. As far as classical music reviews go, YOU DA MAN!
I’m not sure If I agree with that bad-day-for-Verdi eclipsing the best days of Puccini or Strauss, Dennis, in fact I strongly reject that argument. “La Boheme,” “Madama Butterfly” and “Tosca” are three of the most popular opera ever written, and opera house would close without them constantly on the schedule. In addition to their eternal popularity, they are genuinely great works of soaring lyricism. All three in my view are on the same level as verdi’s best operas. A fourth opera, “Turandot” is also for the most part a brilliant, (at the time visionary work), and both ‘Un Questa Reggia’ and ‘Nessun Norma’ are justly beloved standards.
Your favorite choice there of “La Forza Del Destino” is an inspired one, I must say. Thanks for the generous words my friend!
Now of course, sooner or later the question comes up to who is the greatest opera composer. Hmm. WAGNER is always cited. But I feel that Wagner is more about presenting over-powering symhonic music with vocals and libretto strung through it. His is great opera, for sure, but I really think he could care less if the singers were heard as long as his orchestral backgrounds were made clear. Beethoven only wrote FIDELIO, so he’s out. Verdi, he could be, and he certainly the greatest of the Italians. But, and I ultimately think Italian opera is better than German, I’d have to give it to the greatest of all writers of Italian opera: MOZART. Yes, I said it. A German composer wrote the greatest ITALIAN opera of em all. DON GIOVANNI is one of the three CRUCIAL moments in classical music. It changed opera forever, presented the gothic, sustained giantic scene times, and brilliantly fused high drama with light comedy. Along with Bach’s BRANDENBERG CONCEROS and BEETHOVEN’S 9th, its DON GIOVANNI standing tall!
Again, this is a position I do not share. Verdi or Puccini is the choice for the greatets composer of Italian opera. Mozart wrote in italian and german, and his output was just too limited in this form, regardless of “Don Giovanni” and “Le Nozze di Figaro” to be seriously considered for the top spot. I love the Brandenbergs, the 9th and Don Giovanni, but I’d offer maybe 60 or 70 other essential and influential pieces. Still your argument is an impassioned one, and I thank you for it.
Another great opera review and another unexpected success this season at the Met. Gelb has really set this place down a creative path, and has given the war horses a run for their money.
Thanks Peter as always for the kind words and astute perceptions. Yes Gelb has taken his share of heat, but at the end of the day I think he’s made some inspired decisions.
Incidentally, I am planning to see Handel’s PARTENOPE at the City Opera on Thursday night at 8:00 P.M. If you interested let me know, as I may buy tickets later today.