News that Eternity Opera may not be able to mount any further productions will be greeted with dismay by all who enjoy opera, not just in Wellington but also in its surrounding regions. Opera opportunities are so few and far between that the value in this company giving practitioners a chance to sustain and develop their skills – and audiences a chance to sustain and deepen their interest in the genre – cannot be overstated. 

This production of one of the most popular works in the canon, Verdi’s Rigoletto, is a particularly vivid example. The essentials are all here: a practised and passionate orchestra of some fifteen pieces, complete with timpani, very ably led by Matthew Ross; a very well structured lighting plot by Haami Hawkins; a lucid and legible costume design by Sally Ross; inventive and idiomatic direction by Alex Galvin.

On this platform, a powerful drama is enacted in that extraordinary space that only opera can inhabit: the grain of the voice. In this place, it is as if our emotions have burst out of our bodies but not out of our shared, physical being. Eternity Opera knows how to focus on this space. There is a real sense of maturity of purpose in this regard. Making the most of the clarity of an English translation and the slightly brutal intimacy of the Hannah Playhouse, the singers are at once fully supported and fully exposed. Altogether, the company bring us many moments of great emotional intensity and thrilling musical transcendence.

As is the way in New Zealand, given the depth of our talent, the chorus are exceptionally good and early on in Rigoletto we get to hear them cut loose. Combined with some marvellous ensemble work from the cast, this gets the show off to a compelling start.

Boyd Owen as the Duke has a fine, flexible tenor, very secure technically, with a particular strength in the confident, idiomatic delivery of the English words. As with other cast members, there is a sense of him speaking directly to the audience as well as singing. Combined with great acting skills and stage presence, this is a much more three-dimensional Duke than we usually encounter. Very well done.

As Gilda, soprano Hannah Catrin Jones brings some unique qualities to this role. There is a sense of her whole being going into her voice. She has some glorious high notes and a completely committed physical presence that makes her ultimate sacrifice utterly convincing. The singer is inseparable from the role in this very affecting performance.

Robert Lindsay plays Spirafucile as a contemporary businessman in a nicely paced performance that unfolds into a satisfyingly chilling conclusion. His beautiful bass voice is also very well controlled. Jess Segal as Maddalena does everything well and, like Roger Wilson as the grieving father Monterone, both roles are very well directed and performed for dramatic effect.

Leading this production, though – and leading it to some lofty heights indeed – is James Clayton in the title role. From the outset this is a performance of mastery in every respect: technically flawless, magnificently various in its colouring, apparently limitless in its power and emotional agility. While being in total command of this role, Clayton also works beautifully in ensemble. This is an operatic baritone at the height of his powers. For this reason alone – and there are others – you mustn’t miss this show. You won’t encounter any better Rigoletto that I am aware of. 

Of course, this production is not without its flaws – and there is nowhere to hide in the courageous aesthetic that Eternity Opera has adopted. A little fatigue is detectable in the earlier parts of the second half, although this doesn’t last – and the superb energy levels of the first half would be difficult to maintain. I‘m also not sure that Alex Galvin solves all the directorial challenges presented by the last scenes, although he does solve some. Again, though, these are challenges that are accentuated by working in a style that maximises art over artifice.  Flawless this production may not be – but it is no less fabulous for that.

I have no doubt that Creative New Zealand has many difficult decisions to make in allocating scarce resources. But in a time of long overdue expansion in our collective life we must fervently hope that, by some means or another, this kind of creative enterprise is one of the hundred flowers that can continue to bloom. 

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