RigolettoCGO

THE STORY:
The story is not what it seems. It is not just a story of a teenager in love with a philandering nobleman, and an obsessive father undone by the unintended consequence of his own ill-conceived treachery. It is not just the story of a curse come true, a sort of poetic justice come to a man involved in deadly criminal affairs. Rather, and greatly simplified, it is a story of divine justice, the wheels of God grinding slowly, but exceedingly fine. It is retribution of divine proportions inflicted upon Rigoletto, a court jester, who sets out for revenge against his own boss, the Duke, for having an affair with his beloved daughter, whom he unwittingly gives over to the Duke, thinking it is someone else, then paying an assassin to kill the Duke, and discovering in the final act that his paid assassin inadvertently killed the beloved Gilda, his own daughter. It is the stuff of which, Sir Walter Scott must have been thinking when he wrote: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”

WHERE I VIEWED IT:
The Palace in the heart of downtown Stamford is a cozy, comfortable, acoustically suited 1500 seat theater, with not an obstructed seat in the house. I like the smaller theaters for two reasons: first the performers and stage seem larger than life. The stage just seems, somehow, more intimate; second, the sound is much more alive. The theater, itself, is convenient to restaurants and a parking garage across the street offers free parking if you present your theater stub. Interstate 95 is juts a few blocks away, making arriving and departing easy

THE PERFORMANCE:
There were three distinguishing characteristics of last night’s performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Palace Theater in downtown Stamford, Ct. that are worth noting: first, the music, provided by the CGO&O orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Laurence Gilgore, was smooth, supportive and well-balanced throughout. I have observed Maestro Gilgore’s style in the past and enjoy his punctuated manner of directing singers – a gentle jab of the index finger of his left hand in the direction of the voice he expects to hear next, signaling precisely when he expects to hear it, without losing a beat with his right (baton) hand as he moves the orchestra along from stanza to stanza. He’s not just conducting; he’s overseeing the performance that is taking place on stage too. Last night, the orchestra delivered beautifully under his expert control, making Verdi's music come alive as it was surely meant to be heard; the second noteworthy characteristic was the uniformly strong performance of the cast, which I will get to momentarily. Suffice to say the ensemble was up to the task, and provided a surprise or two which I found pleasing; third, there was the wonderfully moody and colorful set design and lighting by Stivanello Costume Co. and Susan Roth, respectively. I have seen this production with different sets and under different lights, and I always prefer the traditional, which this production was – especially the interior scenes of the Duke’s castle, as well as the courtyard with a dividing wall on one side and canal on the other. Nicely done, very colorful and moody when called for.
And now the cast, in no specific order, I happen to think that baritone Lawrence Harris’ tortured character, Rigoletto, was the biggest surprise of the evening – literally and figuratively. Mr. Harris, a former professional football player, is a big man and his presence on stage was noted by more than one audience member whom I spoke with during intermission. His size can be a little offsetting, especially when paired next to the diminutive Eglise Gutierrez, who played his daughter, Gilda. Depending upon how you view Rigoletto, will determine how you liked Mr. Harris in the title role: Is he a frail, weak-willed man whose very existence balances on the double-edged discretion of his boss, the evil Duke of Mantua, played wonderfully by tenor, Todd Geer; or is he a stronger man than appears, intimidating to many, but humbled at birth by a disfigurement that prevents him from either being taken seriously, or achieving any success except as a court jester – a role that fate has dealt him. I see Rigoletto as the latter, and when viewed in that perspective can say without hesitation that both vocally and as a performer Mr. Harris gave the audience a dynamic, tender and moving portrayal of his character that was touching and believable. He has a wonderful voice that straddles bass and baritone and when he sings, that wonderful voice goes under the carpets, in the wall recesses and passes through our sensory system with ease. His presence is his strongest asset because he controls it and doesn’t impose himself, but rather allows himself to be drawn into whatever scene he is in. This is a voice and presence to watch.
Speaking of voices there were many others in this fine production. Soprano Eglise Gutierrez brought to her character a childlike innocence and vulnerability that was a perfect match to her wonderful voice. Technically, she sings what the score calls for, and does so with what appears to be such effortlessness that every utterance produces beautiful sound that actually has a soothing affect on the audience. She hits the highs, exhibits fine control, and can go from pianissimo to fortissimo in a single note that has no beginning but ends in amazing power, conveying what she is feeling through her vocalizations and modulation. In this regard, her voice tells us much more than the libretto ever could. That’s the sign of a good singer. And she does this consistently throughout her performance.
Tenor, Todd Geer’s, Duke of Mantua was sung and acted beautifully. He had the cocky swagger and devilish smirk that befit a man of the Duke’s arrogance, and he sang with a wonderful tenor voice that had nice depth, modulation and expressiveness.
Bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos’ Sparafucile was another one of those surprises that come along when a singer has the handsome dark looks that make the bad guy somebody you want to see on stage as often as possible. Mr. Cockorinos not only has good stage presence, but he displayed an equally hypnotic voice that is probably the kind that gave Verdi the chills when he was alive. Nice!
Lastly, there was the performance of mezzo-soprano Marianna Kulikova as Maddalena. Ms. Kulikova has unmistakable stage presence and exudes a statuesque sensuality that makes her a natural for these parts -- in this case the scheming sister of Sparafucile. She displayed good range and modulation and good command of the stage when she was on it. Add these two together and you get what makes opera not only pleasing to watch but pleasing to the ear when done well – and she performed her role well last night. I look forward to seeing more of this fine singer in other roles that give us a better opportunity to hear what she has to offer.
There were many other characters whose contributing voices added to the success of this production, and which make it a fine ensemble cast, and many kudos go to the stage director, Michael Capasso as well, for giving us a nicely done production, and Angela Huff and Meredith Baraf for some nicely done costumes and makeup. Once again, Connecticut Grand Opera & Opera has come up with a winner, giving its own interpretation of a classic that satisfies those traditionalists among us who not only like to see opera done well, but performed in the style it was meant to be seen.

Conductor, Laurence Gilgore
Stage Director, Michael Capasso
Set design, Stivanello Costume Co.
Lighting, Susan Roth
Wigs/Makeup, Meredith Baraf
Costumes, Angela Huff