Written in the 1890s when the composer was in his late 70s, Falstaff was Verdi’s last opera and very different from the works that had established his pre-eminence. Grand operas such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, and Aida had shown his skill in handling such major themes as love, power and war, but now he was turning his hand to comedy. Richard Jones’ production, first seen at Glyndebourne in 2009, shows how effective this different side of Verdi could be.
The composer’s task was aided by a fine libretto by the Italian poet and writer Arrigo Boito, who took the story of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, added a little from both Parts of Henry IV, and greatly increased the tempo by cutting the slower passages. Comic operas need fast-paced music, as opposed to the long, meaningful arias of Verdi’s earlier works and Boito’s libretto inspired the composer to produce brisk music to match the humour of the tale.
The current Glyndebourne production also benefits from excellent performances in the leading parts. The Italian baritone Renato Girolami was perfect in the title role, squeezing every ounce of comedy from Sir John Falstaff’s obsessions with food, wine and women, and his self-delusions regarding his sex appeal. Setting himself the task of seducing two rich married women, Alice and Meg, he makes the mistake of thinking they won’t talk to each other. Unfortunately for Falstaff, they do compare notes, which leads to an elaborate plot to teach him a lesson.
While Girolami dominates the action in the opera, he is given great assistance by Italian mezzo-soprano Valentina Pernozzoli in the role of Mistress Quickly, who acts as an emissary for Falstaff’s intended victims. She plays the part with magnificent comic timing and an enviable repertoire of glorious gestures. The scenes between these two were the highlight of the production.
There was also some impressive singing from Anna Princeva as Alice and Stephanie Lauricella as Meg, and from Russian baritone Rodion Pogossov as Alice’s husband, Ford. With Falstaff and Mistress Quickly setting such a splendid pace for the comedy, however, some of the sub-plots involving scheming and counter-schemes got a little lost in the events surrounding the main character. I would particularly have loved to see more of Ethiopian-Italian soprano Mariam Battistelli who gave a delightfully impressive performance as Ford’s daughter Nannetta, but Falstaff’s antics left insufficient opportunity to develop her story of marital plotting.
The performance was completed by enthusiastically brisk playing from the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sian Edwards and some charming set designs from Ultz. The scene changes, however, were sometimes worryingly slow.
Falstaff is playing at Glyndebourne on various dates until 24 August.
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