It is arguably one of the most difficult operas to conduct. The old Verdi, who bows out with the comedy Falstaff after decades of triumph over the tragic, has developed a formidable clockwork mechanism, where a virtuoso and scintillating orchestra must drag in its wake vocal ensembles of a rare level of complexity, without losing or slowing them down.
The choice of the chef is therefore crucial in the first place. At the Lille Opera, the old truck driver Antonello Allemandi is the man for the job. What are some (inevitable) shifts in the face of this rhythm without downtime that it imprints on the performance, from this beginning that catches you in the heart of the action? Verdi's brilliant score leaps and bounds, thanks also to a glorious Lille National Orchestra, of brilliant clarity without covering the singers. Once this irresistible pulsation is set up, the one that gives the comedy its timing, more than half of the work is done.
Let's not underestimate...
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