RIGOLETTO [Los Angeles Opera] - Review

The inherent vision contained within the tragedy of a clown despite any personification of his intelligence is contained within the aspect of what his place is within his society. In the time that the opera "Rigoletto" is set, fools had a distinct display within the court offering brevity in much the way a stand-up comic would now sometimes preclude a major music act. But here the title character working against his master in proper court, he offends to the point that a lesson must be made. Like "La Traviata" which begins with a party and devolves into a story of love lost, the malady here is not sickness, but scorn. The true standout of the performance held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the LA Opera lies with the visage of Sarah Coburn as Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter who runs through an emotional roller coaster in her portrayal of the maligned girl. While Gilda's intentions don't have the veracity of a character like "Lucia", her variations in voice and power are nonetheless staggeringly poignant at times.The stage, through simple, uses a grand pillar of forced perspective to great effect, especially in the presentation of the hidden apartment. The initial scene where the Duke of Mantua, played with verifiable relish by Gianluca Terranova, seduces the innocent young girl gives a balance of the comedic and the simply brazen. The two leads belt their playful banter with abandon and force. The opening scene with full cast by comparison offers a grand symphony of background voices that crescendo but never hit full force despite a very significant possibility. Actually the most intensive performance is a criss-crossed presentation towards the end when Gilda finds out that her supposed love, the Duke, has made his way to a house of ill repute where he lies speaking the same textures of love to a woman he hardly knows. Like the Tonight quintet from the later West Side Story, it involves four voices singing completely different variations that work together. The highlight (and trick if you will) is the fact that is it is set in two different locations with two different lighting structures and actions taking place at that same time: one inside the brothel and one on the waterway outside on the street. Its personality and execution is exceptionally vivid.The eventual resolution or lack thereof in "Rigoletto" is indicative of Verdi and operas of the period but still quite evocative. Again the performance of Coburn as Gilda stands true with her ability to be lying on her back and singing operatically full force at the same time. The most recognizable aria within the opera though resides with the Duke discussing the lament of the women upon his life, not realizing the hurt he has caused. These consequences though are fueled mostly behind the scene by Rigoletto himself who hires an assassin to kill the Duke after his men kidnap his daughter and destroy her virtue. "Rigoletto" is not as intense an opera as Verdi's "La Traviata" but its narrative shows an convoluted way of thinking that Hollywood would be proud of. Its texture of interweaving various story lines with the inherent musical challenges offers a sound balance between the brevity of the comedy and the downtrodden of the tragedy so popular in productions of the time.