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It would seem obvious from the get-go that an opera called "Il Trovatore" (The Troubador) would have to have a really talented singer in the title role to lay claim to any success at all.
But in the case of Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 masterwork on themes of obsession, vengeance, thwarted love and tragically mistaken identity, four full-throated, powerhouse vocalists on equal footing are needed to meet the evenly meted-out demands of the principal roles.
Happily for Festival Opera's current production at the Lesher Center for the Arts, those requirements are largely fulfilled in the singers cast as the doomed couple Leonora and Manrico; the jealous and powerful rival for her love, the Count di Luna; and Manrico's maybe-she-is, maybe-she's-not mother, the gypsy Azucena.
In Tuesday night's well-attended performance in the Center's Hofmann Theatre, the unassailable standout was young tenor Noah Stewart as Manrico, whose magnificent vocal gifts were in ready and unwavering supply throughout all four acts. His warm, nuanced delivery of the "Ah si, ben mio" love pledge in Act III, followed mere moments later by his scaling of the heights of the fearsome "Di quella pira" aria, were reason enough to be in the audience.
Fully his match in terms of sheer vocal strength and accuracy of pitch was soprano Hope Briggs. Her forthright, forceful Leonora was persuasive most of the time, but some sudden swoops to her highest notes were not as finely
Baritone Scott Bearden, who last year won a New York Verdi competition judged by Placido Domingo, was an excellent Count di Luna, rendering his menacing harangues in rich and robust tones. Mezzo-soprano Patrice Houston as Azucena was also in fine, firm voice. More than anyone else, she seemed to actually inhabit her character — a welcome phenomenon in a production where a simple "stand and sing" seemed to be the stage direction by default. A surprisingly strong fifth character emerged in the minor role of Ferrando, sung with great resonance and conviction by bass Kirk Eichelberger.
If this production, directed by Giulio Cesare Perrone, did not do much to elevate the credibility of a somewhat implausible libretto (revolving around a baby tossed into a fire by its mother by mistake!), at least it did nothing to obstruct the music, which is some of Verdi's most delicious. Conductor Morgan brought the buoyant aspects of the score to the forefront, always supporting and never overwhelming the singers.
The Festival Opera Chorus, but for a couple of unfocused entrances, was a steady and stalwart musical force. Director Perrone's sets were admirably versatile, and enhanced by some clever decisions by lighting designers Matthew Antaky and Patrick Hajduk - but I would be happy if the oversized "tree limb" that descended from the ceiling with an alarming plop in the Act 1 garden scene, looking for all the world like the plucked foot of a mutant chicken, were to be given the heave-ho before the opera's final two performances.
Reach Sue Gilmore at sgilmore @bayareanewsgroup.com.
