STUTTGART / State Opera. RIGOLETTO
Jul 23, 2025 | REVIEWS , Opera international
Stuttgart State Opera
RIGOLETTO performance on 21 July 2025 – in memory of Beate Ritter
Opera director Victor Schoner welcomed the audience – not to announce an indisposition or even a change of cast, but to remember the soprano Beate Ritter, who died in June at the age of just 41 after a short, serious illness. Since 2018, she had enriched the State Opera ensemble as one of the shining stars and set standards especially as Gilda, with whom she also celebrated her acclaimed debut.
Dedicating these revival performances before the summer break to her memory is testament to the intact human atmosphere at the house and was certainly a very special incentive for Claudia Muschio for her Gilda debut. The Italian, who graduated from the opera studio, made the role her own according to her vocal abilities, drawing on her strengths – a solidly developed middle and low register, as well as a charming richness of overtones, enhanced by her dark, luminous timbre. Blossoming lyricism and coloratura that she perfectly placed define her rapture for the poor student Gualtier Maldé; hearty intensity, almost bearing dramatic traits, defines her insistence on him, as well as her willingness to sacrifice. She demonstrates wisdom in staying within a certain comfort zone, rather than forcing herself to perform the occasionally heard interpolated top notes. All in all, a successful premiere!
The other role debutant is Martin Gantner , who is almost exclusively associated with the German repertoire , which is why his announcement as Rigoletto initially came as a surprise. However, he knew how to brush aside the frequent stereotyping and, with a vocal and interpretative penetration tailored entirely to his own needs, not only convinces as a whole, but also surprises with his vocal fullness and flexibility. Although his bright baritone lacks the baritone foundation and warmth as well as color nuance in some passages, he compensates for this with differentiated intonation and pleasingly soft use of legato. His portrayal strikes a tense middle ground between cynical fool and loving father, who at times seems to be frightened by his own cheeky tongue, remains paralyzed, and in the end is totally overwhelmed by his dead daughter.
Atalla Ayan, as the radiantly emphatic Duca, provided fire with his easy command of his powerful bel canto-caliber tenor, and in the third act, he elevated his performance to a dazzlingly rich “La donna e mobile” and a beguilingly phrased “Bella figlia dell’amore.” It’s a stroke of luck that the Brazilian has remained loyal to the house for so long, despite his merits.
As Sparafucile, Adam Palka once again embodied the ideal of this professional killer, a bass-saturated and hauntingly sinister presence. Itzeli del Rosario, as his sister Maddalena, lures potential victims into the house with a seductively mellow mezzo-soprano. Alekasander Myrling, as Count di Monterone, sends his curses into the house with a bloodcurdling thunder, his now more voluminous bass, still in need of fine-tuning, supported by his central position in the center box. In the smaller roles, consistently adequate performances: Joseph Tancredi (Borsa), Jacobo Ochoa (Marullo), Rosario Chavez (Giovanna), Elena Salvatori (Countessa di Ceprano), Shunya Goto (Count di Ceprano), Nicolas Calderón Bosom (Page), and William David Halbert (Bailiff). The gentlemen of the State Opera Chorus (rehearsed by Bernhard Moncado ) live out their fun as courtiers with full joy of singing and again somewhat overemphasized orgiastic tendencies, which the direction of Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito gives them in the pleasingly action-bearing stage design ( Bert Neumann ) and role-covering costumes ( Nina von Mechow ).
The momentum behind the increasingly intense atmosphere in the house toward the end was also provided by Andriy Yurkevych’s spirited conducting, which consistently guided the soloists with rigor. This inspiration was also transmitted to the Stuttgart State Orchestra , which effectively captured Verdi’s progressive achievements and several highlights of the score.
This honorable memorial performance ended with almost southern enthusiasm and choral ovations.
Udo Klebes