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This was an excellent performance in every respect, done with tremendous drive and vigour which is what this sort of work needs. It was wonderfully rumbustious and driven and the singers were first rate (essential in this sort of work). Raucous was a word that came to mind too but I think that would be a little harsh and unfair (although it could certainly be applied to some of the brass-heavy orchestration).
Although I had seen the work staged before (Theater an den Wien/Konwitchsky, I think…), this production made the Christian/pagan conflict very clear – and there was a good dose of pre-unification patriotism with cries such as ‘take all the world but leave Italy for me’
The set was very effective with a series of large panels on which were a range of top-quality projections (Hungarian Opera really seem to have now got this technique nailed). The representation of Attila’s tent with richly embroidered materials and a ‘yurt’ structure hinted at was highly effective, as was the very beautiful forest scene with fireflies and the imaginative illumination, just for this scene, of the trees at the side of the auditorium giving an effective sense of immersion in nature. The suggestion of rape, pillage, ruins, fire and flames and wholesale destruction was very effectively done too with excellent lighting whole the simple flowing white materials used for the appearance of the Bishop were highly effective in their simplicity.
The (obligatory) dancers were effective although their exact role (ghosts of those killed?) was sometimes unclear – but their ‘look’ – men and women in identical flowing grey robes with a red streak running from forehead to navel with red gloves - was very effective and dramatic.
But the singers were (rightly) the true stars. Gabor Bretz has a superbly resonant wide-ranging voice which more than met the demands of the role and he has the necessary impressive stage presence too. His lower notes made me wish to hear him in some Wagner – Hagen perhaps?. Maria Agresta was superb as Odabella, absolutely nailing the abominably difficult entranced aria and cabaletta. She had power, like Bretz (and so it was a pity that they, like all the others were a tad over-miked) and the necessary flexibility – not perhaps as easily flexible as some but the little hint of effort was marvelously appropriate dramatically, emphasizing her determination. Haja and Pataki were also very fine and rose to the demands of their roles.
So, a great evening –although a pity that it is not being performed this season…
But one gripe though: why did we not see Odabela actually kill Attila at the very end? – this was her whole dramatic raison d’etre and it seemed anticlimactic not to see this -particularly as the staging was been marvelously appropriate with Attila appearing rear and centre of the stage at the top of a flight of steps. Her stabbing him there, with a final fall down the steps (visual representation of his dramatic situation!) and Odabella standing triumphant holding a bloodied sword above her would have made a really strong final stage image.