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Conductor: Andrea Battistoni
Stars: Giovanni Battista Parodi, Susanna Branchini, Sebastián Catana, Roberto de Biasio.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812864/
Verdi's 9th opera.
First performance at La Fenice in Venice, 1846.
Time: Mid-5th century
Place: Aquileia, the Adriatic lagoons, and near Rome
Filmed at Teatro Verdi di Busseto.
This performance is back to Tutto Verdi: Oberto's house: Busseto, the shoebox. But that constrained feeling is felt less hear because of use of (likely rear) projection. We get motion pictures during transitions to set the new location for a scene. Very well done; wondered if it was animation or models.
My reaction to first watching the other production I have was "this is a love story?" Here it's clearly one-sided, and Odabella wants to run Attila through with any blade that's handy, so long as it's a fatal blow. Attila foolishly gives his sword to her, and she bides her time (so we can get plenty of singing). (This is historical fiction; Attila died from a spontaneous hemorrhage, choking him.) Attila does not act as though he thinks her fierce nature is cute. He seems drawn to her strength, and (probably) thinks she'll reciprocate in time. Ooops.
I wonder if it was a translation issue, but the Romans kept referring to themselves as Italians. Perhaps it was a deliberate ploy to/for the audiences back in 1846.
Singing/acting/staging (given the small theatre) was good. Audience appreciated them.
The Great Course mentions this opera, but basically jumps from Ernani to Macbeth.
Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 14th among Verdi's operas, 136th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics) The featurette also states that this is Verdi's departure from the style of Rossini/Bellini/Donizetti, and the beginning of his own style. Apparently the Italian people really identified with this story, as well as Oberto and I lombardi prior, because they were readying for revolt for independence in 1848.
Unitel, cond. Battistoni; 7
