At the Opera: A remarkable ‘Rigoletto’ opens Arizona Opera season

For an opera production to reach true heights of excellence, many, many elements must converge in total balance on one night during just one three-hour window — casting, conducting, singing, playing, directing, lighting, designing and acting.

Therefore, it is relatively rare when such coalescence happens. It did so remarkably last Saturday night when Arizona Opera opened its 2008-09 season with Verdi’s tragic “Rigoletto” in Tucson. There is nothing to do but give it the rave it deserves. Here it comes:

At the foundation were general and artistic Director Joel Revzen’s ear and ability to find and entice better and better voices to Arizona. Revzen was not in the pit Saturday, but his stamp was indelibly on the production.

Gordon Hawkins as Rigoletto brings a big voice and an imposing frame to the title role. He only suggests the deformity of the hunch back, varying the physicality subtly from that of the public jester to the father at home, no longer on stage at court. As Revzen said privately before the opening curtain, Hawkins “owns the role.”

Mary Wilson’s voice was perfection for Gilda — light, young, virginal yet with remarkable projection of the high head tones way to the back of the house. Her “Caro Nome” was sensitive and pure, a pleasure to hear, as was the high B in the death scene duet. Wilson quite incredibly learned the role in 10 days because of the withdrawal of two other sopranos. We need to hear more of her in the future.

How things have changed at Arizona Opera from the reedy, wimpy tenors of 20 years ago. Garrett Sorenson is a young tenor to be watched. His opening scene displayed a strong, full voice with no hint that he needed to “save it for the end” where Verdi placed the famous and vocally demanding “La donna � mobile.” Sorenson’s acting had just enough of the duplicity of royalty toward women of the period to make one dislike the character but love the voice. The quartet in Act III was unusually well-balanced with the addition of Elizabeth Batton as Maddalena, a role sometimes overwhelmed by stronger principals.

“Rigoletto” tells of the heartbreak of a father, reduced by physical handicap to the role of court jester, who tries unsuccessfully to protect his daughter from the hazards of the court. When she meets a handsome stranger in church, she naively accepts his lies. He is really the duke, and the royals expect and get seduction.

Kidnapped by the courtiers and delivered to their capo di tutti capi, Gilda vacillates between the shame of submission and her first real passion for a man. Although Rigiletto blames the seduction and death of his daughter on a curse, it is his own action that causes the tragedy. Gilda offers her life to prevent the assassin hired by Rigoletto from killing her duplicitous lover, and she dies in her father’s arms.

“Rigoletto” has lasted in the repertoire of the world’s opera companies since its premier in 1851 both because of its beautiful music and its universal truths. Rigoletto can no more protect his daughter from life in the Renaissance than can adults today, no matter how much TV screening, internet filtering, movie rating and book censoring they attempt or how many curfews they impose.

Rigoletto himself found protection at court from his deformity through sardonic humor at the expense of others, but it cost him friends and created enemies as well as the life of his daughter. Taking care about stepping on others on the way up because you may meet them coming back down is something Rigoletto learned in the hardest way possible.

Space limits appropriate recognition of the entire production. Peter Volpe’s sonorous basso was perfect for the malevolent Sparafucile. Richard Buckley, clearly an experienced and sensitive conductor, kept the long first act moving. The opulent set, on loan from New Orleans Opera, and the direction of David Gately created a believable milieu. Harry Frehner’s lighting contributed, although the follow spot in the last scene could use another blue gel or two to dim the stage and enhance the poignancy. All in all, it was truly a remarkable production.

Rigoletto will again be performed in Phoenix, Oct. 16-18, at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. at Phoenix Symphony Hall.

Subscriptions and tickets are available at (520) 293-4336 and www.azopera.com as well as Ticketmaster.

And now for something completely different. The season continues with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” on Nov. 15 and 16 with the return of Metropolitan Opera’s Stephanie Blythe.

Dr. Donald J. Behnke is the theater critic for the Green Valley News. Contact him at Donald.behnke@yahoo.com.