The first week of rehearsal for Verdi’s Il Trovatore has moved along at lightning speed. Thanks to the exceptional organizational skills of director Joseph Bascetta and an experienced cast of artists, the blocking of principals for the entire opera was completed by Thursday—far ahead of the customary schedule.
Mr. Bascetta also brings a fresh take on the staging of the opera, minus the typical gloom of setting and stage lighting. In his words, “the drama must come from the characters, not the environment.” As a result, during each run through he asks his artists to dig deeper into their feelings and to show them in every gesture and expression. “The audience must see your thoughts.”
Take, for example, his direction to Laura Brioli, who portrays the tragic Azucena. “We need to see the insanity burning a hole in your head—almost as though you are a wounded animal.” Her first rehearsal of the aria in which she recounts the brutal killing of her mother was absolutely gripping. Audiences are accustomed to seeing in Azucena only ugly bitterness. Ms. Brioli’s portrayal is the exact opposite. Using her rich mezzo voice and her nuance of movement, she makes us see Azucena’s grief and fragility as well as her insanity.
While the all of the cast is new to Indianapolis Opera, most have worked together before elsewhere, and it shows. Their professionalism and collegial attitudes toward one another make it easier for them to reveal the emotional depths they are asked to find.
Leonora, portrayed by soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams, begs the evil Count di Luna—baritone Todd Thomas—not to harm her beloved.
When we hear the evil Count di Luna declare his love for the heroine Leonora, we usually see and hear only lust. But portrayed by baritone Todd Thomas in our production, the sincerity and almost gentleness of his declaration actually make him sympathetic (momentarily, at least).
Soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams as Leonora and tenor Arnold Rawls as Manrico make a stunning couple, both vocally and dramatically. Both must draw on their individual and joint strengths as artists to perform the difficult scene in which he accuses her of infidelity and moments later she dies in his arms—having sacrificed herself to save him.
Mr. Bascetta’s emphasis on emotion and internal conflict in our upcoming production means that the singers must also sing in a manner that befits the feelings being presented. People portraying anger sing with a markedly different cadence than if they were singing the same notes just to sing prettily. That makes conducting more challenging and more interesting at the same time—knowing when to increase intensity and when to step back.
Another interesting idea Mr. Bascetta brings to this production of Il Trovatore is that the chorus will play a much more active role in the unfolding of the story than in many operas. We begin integrating the members of the chorus into the production this weekend—I think they will be surprised! Tune in here next week to see how that is going!
Jim
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