Lucio Gallo (Nabucco), Marianne Cornetti (Abigaille), Mutsumi Taniguchi (Fenena), Tatsuya Higuchi (Ismaele), Konstantin Gorny (Zaccaria), Fumiko Ando (Anna), New National Theatre Chorus, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Paolo Carignani
Last week I went to see Nabucco at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. As I entered the theatre the curtain was open revealing the set - a reproduction of two floors of a high-end shopping mall complete with escalators. As the work began it was clear that the mall was the Hebrews' temple and they themselves hyper-consumerist shoppers (illustrated by the choreography with shopping bags during the overture). When the Babylonians arrive, they are modern, anarchist terrorists with guns and face masks. Zaccaria appears as some sort of doomsdayer complete with sandwich board sign though it is not clear why he belongs with the well-heeled shopping crowd or why he is in fact their leader. Despite these reservations, it cannot be denied that the staging was stunning to look at, but as the sparkling, high-class mall of the first act and the heavily damaged and vandalised version of the later acts.
For me Nabucco really stands or falls on the strength of the singer portraying the evil Abigaille and here Marianne Cornetti showed off a powerhouse of a voice in that role. I was constantly amazed by her ability to fit her warm mezzo voice to this absolute killer of a soprano part. The big aria at the beginning of Act 2 ('Anch'io disgiuso') was more mellifluous than I've perhaps heard elsewhere, the weird florid divisions in the cavatina rendered accurately and more importantly, were beautifully phrased too. Being a mezzo, one might suspect that it would a stretch for Cornetti to reach the high notes in the recitative and cabaletta (one verse only) but remarkably they were there, on pitch and actually quite astonishingly loud. Temperamentally, she wasn't as gloriously demented as Paoletta Marrocu in Auckland last year (the chest register, while formidable, wasn't quite dug into as forcefully) but still held her own as a central character though she was rather unflatteringly costumed. Her appearance in the final scene was very touching, the vocal line floated effortlessly through the house.
Lucio Gallo sometimes seems overstretched by Verdi roles on recordings but happily, this was predominantly not the case in this Nabucco. His "mad scene" after being struck by lightning was well-judged with some beautiful quiet singing. His is perhaps not the most individual baritone sound but it largely encompassed the role with relative ease. 'Dio di Giuda', while slightly hoarse at the top was nonetheless authoritatively sung. Acting-wise he did extremely well, his different emotions perceivable in both voice and physicality during the big duet with Cornetti.
The Fenena, Mutsumi Taniguchi, was a major surprise. While she made a mostly neutral effect in the first act trio, her last-act prayer was simply gorgeous, dusky mezzo blooming stunningly on the high notes. This prayer is truly a lovely little piece; Taniguchi's rendition made me realise this for the first time as most other performances seem to undercast this role.
Konstantin Gorny wasn't quite up to the task as Zaccaria. While he certainly has all the notes, there is an unsteady, throaty quality to the sound that didn't sit well with Verdi's long legato lines. Nor could he make the most of his big scenes with the chorus, where he tended to be overwhelmed - he simply didn't seem to have enough heft. He also didn't really radiate the authority inherent in the role; vocally and dramatically he played second fiddle to the other characters. Tatsuya Higuchi as Ismaele has a virile tenor voice and some squillo though the voice is not always ideally steady and the top somewhat constricted. However, he always sang with passion made an exciting effect in his scene justifying himself to the Jews he betrayed.
New National Theatre Chorus were mostly a stunning chorus, making the most of their opportunities in this work. They have a nice rich sound and there is no hint of mushiness in their singing - the vocal lines were ideal in their clarity. The famous "Va, pensiero" came off curiously lightly - I think the louder moments really require a little more muscle. Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra evidently have a real feel for Verdi. There was a fantastic sense of propulsion in the Overture. Paolo Carignani's interpretation was on the barnstorming side which was great in maintaining a sense of energy and momentum so important for this early Verdi piece.
