Tenor Pati makes an ardent Met debut in “Rigoletto”
Verdi’s Rigoletto returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Monday with a fresh cast under the baton of Daniele Callegari. The performance featured the house debut of tenor Pene Pati as the Duke of Mantua. The role has been his calling card in opera houses worldwide, and it is easy to see why from this performance.
Bartlett Sher’s Weimar-inspired production is compact and efficient. Scene changes, especially the switch from the Duke’s palace to the streets of Mantua, are completed in seconds. Men in dashing military uniforms and women in glittering gowns bring glamour to the Duke’s court. The premature appearance of Gilda in the tavern in Act III is still puzzling, but that’s the only time in the entire production where Sher has the audience guessing.
Now 37, Pati was born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand. His voice is in prime condition, and his exuberant stage presence suits the high-spirited, hedonistic Duke. First impressions matter and Pati got off to a sterling start with “Questa o quella,” which he sang with style, gleaming tone, and just the right touch of insouciance. His “È il sol dell’anima,” where he convinced Erin Morley’s Gilda of his love, was equally winning with playfulness and joy radiating from his entire countenance. He would later smack his lips when he learned that Gilda was being held captive in his palace.
In the Second Act, fueled no doubt by a combination of adrenaline and the audience’s embrace, Pati threw caution to the wind. The result was climatic phrases that didn’t always take flight and the occasional strangulated high note, first heard in “Parmi veder le lagrime.” Pati’s otherwise impressive “La donna è mobile” also fell victim to his over-eagerness in the final measures. Nonetheless, Pati has a voice of gold and undeniable charisma, a combination tailor-made for success once he gets his exuberance under control.
Morley was an enchanting Gilda, her pristine soprano conveying innocence and love in equal measure. Her Gilda staggered as if hit by a lightning bolt when she heard the Duke’s voice singing outside the house where she lives with her father Rigoletto. The warmth and passion of Morley’s soprano in the duet with the Duke that followed was eclipsed by the innocence and wonder of her love for him expressed in an exquisite “Caro nome” with her bell-like tones carrying through the house effortlessly. The emotional high points of the performance were her duets with Luca Salsi’s towering Rigoletto.
At the ducal court, Salsi’s jester was a malevolent figure whose voice alternately thundered and cajoled the courtiers with insults and slurs. Salsi revealed Rigoletto’s humanity in the tenderly sung passages with his daughter and the jester’s fears and insecurities through his haunting reflections on the implications of Monterone’s curse. Salsi’s voice erupted in rage in “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata,” as he demanded the release of his daughter and then dripped with tears as he was reduced to pleading that she be returned to him. Regardless of the emotion, Salsi sang magnificently.
Rihab Chaieb made for a sultry, rich-voiced Maddalena in her role debut. The rare mezzo-soprano who manages to appear as sexy as she sounds, even with a lurid red wig. Soloman Howard reprised his menacing Sparafucile, with the bass’s cavernous low notes sending shivers down one’s spine. Eve Gigliotti also had her star turn as a duplicitous Giovanna, who slammed the door as she fled the scene of Gilda’s abduction under her less-than-watchful eye.
Blake Denson’s forceful Monterone again stalked the stage, with venom and vengeance present in his voice and visage. Soprano Tessa McQueen and baritone Yeongtaek Yang, both participants in the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, made their house debuts with confidence and style.
From the opening measures of the Preludio, Callegari, and the Met Orchestra instilled passion and drama into the music. The energy that they generated was palatable and certainly a factor in Pati’s performance taking flight. Callegari is a master of supporting the voice. He was as adept at drawing delicate, transparent sound from the orchestra to cushion Morley’s light, luminous soprano, as he was in creating a column of sound that supported, yet never overwhelmed Salsi’s baritone as he exploded in fury or despair.
Rigoletto runs through January 24 with the current cast; Michael Chioldi sings the title role in the final performance. metopera.org
2 Responses to “Tenor Pati makes an ardent Met debut in “Rigoletto””
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Posted Jan 08, 2025 at 1:07 pm by Esteban
This was a bad, really bad, night at the Met. Pati cracked up in all his high notes. “Strangulated high note” is just a generous euphemism to describe what was really a disaster. Erin Morley couldn’t be heard most of the time. At least from the Family Circle, with its fantastic acoustics, her “pristine soprano” was simply inaudible.
Salsi is a correct baritone. Nothing less, nothing more. This is what you get these days at the Met under Peter Gelb’s reign.
Posted Jan 12, 2025 at 11:57 am by Mark
You’re nuts. Pati cracked twice in the performance I attended and his high notes were thin and tentative. I’m tired of praise heaped on serviceable singers.