When Verdi’s Sicilian Vespers (Les vêpres siciliennes) first appeared in Paris in 1855, he had already gained a huge reputation in Italy with such works as La Traviata and Rigoletto but had yet to make a strong impression in France. The problem was that French opera was slow to appreciate the great change he had brought to the genre. Quite apart from Verdi’s magnificent music, his plots were stunningly dramatic, while the French audiences of the time still expected relatively long and by modern standards tedious works, with lengthy ballet sequences.
As a result, the French found The Sicilian Vespers too Italian, while the Italians found it too French and the work has always been one of Verdi’s least often seen, but the music is beautifully emotional and melodic. Mercifully, the current version, a revival of Stefan Herheim’s production in 2013, cuts a 40-minute ballet sequence, but the opera still lasts close to four hours and the pace is sometimes very slow for modern tastes.
The story concerns the occupation of Sicily by France in the 13th century and a revolt culminating in a massacre of the French by the Sicilians in 1282. The massacre was signalled to begin at the sound of church bells ringing for evening prayers, the Vespers of the opera’s title. Oddly, this production adds confusion by updating it to the 19th century, perhaps hinting at Verdi’s revolt against French opera. The plot centres on patriotism and revenge, with added moral conflict when Sicilian hero Henri learns that his bitter enemy French Governor, Guy de Montfort, is his father. Henri is superbly played by Ukrainian tenor Valentyn Dytiuk making his Royal Opera debut in fine style. His voice combines power and sensitivity, displaying the full emotional range demanded by the role. He is in love with fellow revolutionary Hélène, excellently played by Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury. Their duets are a delight, as Dytiuk lessens the power of his voice to blend perfectly with El-Khoury’s.
The leading roles are completed by Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey perfectly villainous as Montfort and Italian bass-baritone Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as the exiled Sicilian leader Jean Procida. With many problems and cast changes during rehearsals, the Royal Opera did very well to emerge with such an impressive quartet of singers.
Speranza Scappucci made an excellent debut as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Opera, showing profound understanding of Verdi’s music. At times, however, there was less than perfect cohesion between players and singers, probably caused by the effect of cast-changes on rehearsal time. Despite the faults, this offers a fine opportunity to see and hear one of Verdi’s most rarely produced operas.