Attila

Attila doesn't see the best of Verdi, and dramatically is not his most concise(Otello or Rigoletto). But it has some lovely music- Ezio's E Gettata La Mia Sorte is the most familiar to me- and deserves to be better known. While the Samuel Ramey/Cheryl Studer production is superior, this Busetto Attila is very good. What does bring it down is that the staging is a little too cramped-looking and occasionally clumsy, and more space would have made it less of a problem. The projected images were quite nice-looking and did work in the second scene prologue and some others, but there are other scenes where they weren't as effective and rather unnecessary. Attila's Predator-like helmet is also a rather strange sight. However, the production is very nicely shot and recorded, with the costumes and sets generally well-designed and not too ugly. It is really in the musical values though where the production excels. The orchestra and chorus all turn in enthusiastic and beautiful playing and singing, while Andrea Battistoni's conducting is tight and allows the drama and musicality of the score to come out. Giovanni Battista Parodi has a sonorous bass voice and is a charismatic presence, there will be inevitable comparisons to Samuel Ramey(who IS Attila) but on his own terms giving a fair chance Parodi comes off extremely effectively. Susanna Branchini's Odabella is poignant and intense, with a voice that is even throughout the range(if perhaps a little too small in size). The Ezio of Sebastian Catana is heroic with a beautifully produced voice, E Gettata La Mia Sorte is very elegantly sung. Roberto De Biasio gives another beautifully sung and involved performance this time as the love interest Forresto. In conclusion, a very good production that is nigh on perfect musically, with more space and a little less use of the projected images the visual side would have matched. 8/10 Bethany Cox