Stands tesi of time

& Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto performed by the Vancouver Opera at the Queen E. Theatre, with shows remaining on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets from Ticketmaster 280-3311.

Ben D°Andrea Contributing Writer THE meiodic and dramatic appeal of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto — undiminished since its successful premiere 150 years ago — can easily withstand the imperfections inevitable in any produciion.

For what is a perfect production, you might ask, but the unquenchable longing in an opera

lover's heart? And the heart, it is said, has irs reasons — so there!

With Saturday’ 's Opening, pexformance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver Opera delivered 2 Rigoletto whose imperfections failed to overshadow its obvious strengths. In the latter category, the orchestra, under Italian conductor Marco Guidarini, seta high stan- dard for the evening, capturing the pulse of Verdi’s score in-the first 35 bars with a wonder- fully brooding preliide. Guidarini refiised to ler the orchestra’s attention stray from Verdi's dynamic contrasts, aad so the climactic moments were as thrilling as the composer intended then to be.

Pamela Berlin’s stage directions suited the opera. Neither the principals nor the chorus

d to have any awkward instructions - thrust upon them, though in Act TIE the Duke and Maddalena necd less leg-in-lap business to ward off the audience’s attack of the giggtcs.

The sets, borrowed from Seattle Opera,

take some liberties with the specifications of

example, are the portraits of the Duke and his wife.) Nonetheless they serve the opera reason- ably well, with the exception of the towering statue of a couple in wild embrace, which of course is meant to reflect the licentiousness of the Duke's court, but which really screams overkill.

If anyone felt a sense of déja vu with this production i it’s because the costumes, with the exception of Rigoletto’: 's, Were the same oncs we saw in last scason’s production of Roméo et Juliette. But since Rigoletto is set in 16th cen- tury Mantua, the costumes fit right in.

Two of the principal singers, Cheryl Parrish as Gilda and Mark Rucker as Rigoletto, are new to Vancouver Opera. Parrish has a good voice, a little hard-edged to my car, particularly in the top register, so that she never really pro- jected Gilda’s emotional vulnerability. But Parrish’s musicianship was never in doubt, her coloratura in her single aria (“Caro nome”) assured and exciting. During this aria, however, she emphasized Gilda’s girlishness rather unconvincingly as she veered from charming to moony.

In the tide role of the hunchback court jester, Rucker proved to be a convincing actor, with an attractive, sonorous voice capable of expressing Rigalctto’s boiling hatred without sacrificing musical control. He was, however, more impressive in the big emotional duets with Gilda at the end of Acts I and IT than in the soliloquy “Pari siamo” with its opportunity for more searching interpretation, This solilo-

uy also revealed that Rucker’s diction needs a the le polish. Powerful delivery was Rucker’s principal strength, and hi8 “Cortigiani, vil razza” received enthusiastic applause.

A shiver of restless anticipation ran through the audience just before tenor Jianyi Zhang, as the libertine Duke of Mantua, sang the opera’s most S&mitiar tune, “La donna é mobile.” It was obviously the moment many were waiting for, and Zhang did not disappoint, tossing off high-voltage top notes. Less successful because

See Opera page 2¢

Verdi's librettist. (Missing from Act HI, for

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