Falstaff was the first Verdi opera I got to know. Looking back that is rather surprising and I can't quite remember why it was this particular opera. It may have been the Geraint Evans masterclasses again, but it could simply have been that it was in the repertoire of the company touring Norwich at the time.
Whatever the reason it remains one of my very favourite Verdi operas. From the first chord through to the final fugue Verdi's invention is astonishing and the action never flags. And what a fabulous use of the orchestra - a whole essay could be written on the piccolo part. Much as I enjoy the vigour and impact of the early Verdi operas it is almost impossible to believe that the Falstaff is by the same composer.
In an opera of some many wonderful scenes and episodes it is difficult to pick out some highlights. The scene between Sir John and Mistress Quickly (Dalle due alle tre) is always a joy, but perhaps the single moment that always makes me smile is at the end of Ford's monologue where his pomposity is burst by the descending chromatic scales in the french horns.
I love the fact that Verdi tried to convince everybody that he was writing Falstaff for his own private pleasure and that he didn't actually want it to be performed. As if the most famous operatic composer of his generation could keep such an opera all to himself. It is a difficult opera to bring off in the theatre simply because there is so much detail in the score and it can easily get lost in a reverberant acoustic, particular where there is laughter going on and in many ways it is the idea opera to listen to on CD or DVD.
No comments:
Post a Comment