Amleto, Opera by F. Faccio
Verona is a city with clear connections to the legacy of William Shakespeare, so it is only fitting for Teatro Filarmonico to host the production of Amleto by Franco Faccio this season. The opera version of the inimitable drama Hamlet was first presented on 30 May 1865 at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. The libretto by Arrigo Boito and Faccio’s intricate vocal and instrumental melodies did not fail to impress. Audiences and critics alike gave the piece their seal of approval, but productions past the premiere remained sparse. A less than successful revision and revival at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in the 1870/71 season did not help keep Amleto in the repertoire, but the work stood the test of time. Revivals in the 2010’s revitalised its popularity. Teatro Filarmonico joins many esteemed opera houses around the globe in staging Franco Faccio’s standout opera this season.
The plot of Amleto stays close to Shakespeare’s well-known drama Hamlet. Amleto mourns the loss of his father and his mother, Queen Gertrude’s hasty remarriage to his uncle Claudio. An apparition reveals to the young prince the horrible secret: It was Claudio who murdered the king, his own brother, in order to usurp his throne and take his wife. Amleto concocts a plan to expose the dreadful crime, ignoring the romantic advances of Ofelia, a nobleman’s daughter. As Claudio becomes increasingly agitated and Amleto’s anger and vengefulness bubble over, a series of unfortunate errors leads to a full-fledged tragedy that only the brilliant mind of William Shakespeare could devise.
Franco Faccio’s score complements the intensity of Shakespeare’s plot and Boito’s libretto. Passages of particular note are the duet between Amleto and Ofelia in Act II, Ofelia’s Act III canzone and the gripping funeral march in Act IV. In between, there is enough material to prove that Faccio deserves much more recognition than he got in his lifetime or beyond. Audiences at Verona’s Teatro Filarmonico are in for a rare and exciting classical experience.