Verdi's 'Jerusalem' was an interesting curiosity, with it being his only opera unfamiliar to me until recently (true with most people too, of his operas it is his least well-known). This performance is interesting for being the only production available on DVD of Verdi's first French opera.
'Jerusalem' has drawn inevitable comparisons to Verdi's fourth opera 'I Lombardi', people citing it as 'I Lombardi' in French. It is very easy to see why they would think that, and it sort of is, but 'Jerusalem' in some ways while static dramatically at times and not as spontaneous is much less complicated than 'I Lombardi' and the music a little more refined. Don't dislike 'I Lombardi' which has some lovely moments, but it is easy to see why it is often considered lesser Verdi.
This performance from Teatro Carlo Fenice, Genoa, dating from 2000, is solid with a lot of good things. At the same time it could have been great. The sets are somewhat amateurish and some of the lighting is too dark, luckily the colourful costumes (i.e. that magnificent headdress) fare much better. Dramatically there are some powerful and moving moments, mainly with Ivan Momirov and particularly Carlo Colombara, but some of the acting and staging is static and in need of more dramatic kick, particularly with Veronica Villaroel and the chorus. Villaroel comes off least out of the principals, dramatically she is rather too demure and too often she sounds too tentative and unsteady.
However, there are some great things here. The two best assets are Michel Plasson's conducting and Carlo Colombara as Roger. Plasson gives a swift and authoritative yet dynamic and nuanced reading of the score, and the orchestra play like angels under him while the chorus are particularly strong in Act 2. Colombara is superb, and is advantaged by that Roger in the opera is the most interesting character. Colombara has a very warm and resonant bass voice used with great musicality and style, and he is by far the best actor in the cast being the only one to show many colours to their acting, the evolution to sinister to genuinely remorseful is most convincing.
With that being said, Ivan Momirov and Alain Fondary also fare very well. Momirov sings very strongly and is achingly impassioned in his big Act 3 scene. Fondary has the best French of the cast, sings with authority and owns the stage well, sad that his role is so short. It looks and sounds pretty good on the DVD, it's expansively and intimately video directing, the picture quality is steady and clear (one just wishes that the lighting was less dark) and the sound allows the viewer to absorb and enjoy the music with its full impact.
All in all, rare Verdi worth discovering with this solid, if not immune to flaws, production. 7/10 Bethany Cox
