Utah Arts ReviewA superb cast delivers the fire and passion of “Pagliacci” at Utah Opera
A strong cast defines Utah Opera’s production of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, which opened Saturday night at the Capitol Theatre.
The story is one of infidelity, betrayal, anger and extreme passions and needs singers with the acting chops to pull off the powerful drama convincingly. Fortunately, Utah Opera has brought together a cast that had the dramatic ability as well as the vocal prowess to bring the music to life.
Leading the cast is tenor Jonathan Burton as Canio. He is a tormented soul filled with jealous rage as he tries to discover who is the lover of his adulterous wife, Nedda. Burton does a splendid job in the role, infusing his portrayal with raw emotion. In the first act, he deftly treads through conflicting emotions — tender and loving to Nedda in one moment, then blind rage when he confronts her infidelity. And in “Vesti la giubba,” Burton sings the aria with immaculate phrasing and beautifully crafted expressiveness. One can palpably feel his pain as he laments the fact he has to play the clown while his heart is broken.
Soprano Lydia Grindatto gives a heart-wrenching performance as Nedda. She, too, is conflicted, longing to be freed from her loveless, abusive marriage to Canio, but feeling trapped and at a loss to do anything about it. She gives voice to these feelings in her opening aria (“Stridono lassù”), as she sings about yearning to be as free as the birds she sees in the sky. Her lyrically infused singing captures the light, airy tone of the music as she daydreams.
Nedda’s lover, Silvio, sung by baritone Eleomar Cuello, brings Nedda’s simmering passion out to the fore, and the two run the gamut of emotions, as they express their love for one another, and as Silvio tries to convince her to flee with him and start a new life together. Cuello’s warm baritone is well matched to Grindatto’s bright soprano. There is a wonderful chemistry between the two that brings conviction to their extended love duet.
Baritone Darren Drone is superb as the manipulative, treacherous Tonio, moving effortlessly between the Prologue’s drolly matter-of-fact recitation of what is about to unfold, to his anger at being rejected by Nedda, and the farcical antics in the second act interpolated commedia dell’arte. Drone’s well-modulated baritone is darker than Cuello’s, allowing him to be menacing in his exchange with Nedda, while also letting him express himself more lyrically when he interacts with the villagers.
Rounding out the cast is tenor Aaron McKone, one of Utah Opera’s resident artists, as Beppo. His light, breezy voice and agile acting were well suited to his comic role in the play-within-a-play.
The chorus plays a large part in Pagliacci, and the Utah Opera Chorus delivered once again, their voices blending well and singing with aplomb as they greet Canio and his troupe in the first act, and as they wait with anticipation for the show to begin in the second act.
The choristers of the Madeleine Choir School were charming, singing and acting with carefree delight and intermingling well with the adult chorus.
The set and costumes are by Utah Opera, and the dress suggests that the story has been updated to the 1930s. Stage director Tara Faircloth managed to create an environment that conveys the time period well.
Members of the Utah Symphony are under the baton of Joseph Colaneri, who captured the dramatic tension of the story with his well chosen tempos and allowed the orchestra to play with finely honed expressions and articulation.
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