Weston Hurt wowed more than audiences and critics with his Seattle Opera debut last October in Verdi's "La Traviata." His vocal and acting skills led to the company tapping the baritone to replace Simone Alberghini as Ford in the Saturday cast of the upcoming comedic opera "Falstaff." Alberghini asked to be released from his contract because his wife was going to have a baby.
Hurt only had a short time to learn the role, which is a new one for him and contains what he considers some of the most challenging music he has sung.
"Ford has a great deal of jealousy and anger, which means keeping my voice from going into the red zone," Hurt said. "I have to be true to the situation and the character while at the same time always singing beautifully and never sacrificing vocal health."
Hurt believes part of the challenge of the music in "Falstaff" arises from the way it is constructed.
"It's through-composed, almost like Wagner in that it has no starts and stops; it keeps going."
The third installment in Seattle Opera's Verdi-centric 2009-10 season, "Falstaff" is one of only two comedic operas penned by Verdi. Based on William Shakespeare's comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Falstaff" tells the tale of the merry wives joining forces to outwit an unscrupulous and loutish knight who schemes to swindle the women of their family's fortunes.
For all that "Falstaff" is a comedy, Hurt sees this as the most vocally dramatic role he has sung so far, with the gravitas increasing as he has moved from Riccardo in Bellini's bel canto opera "I Puritani" to Count Almaviva in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," through Germont in Verdi's "La Traviata" to culminate in Ford. Hurt points out that Ford's revenge aria, "È sogno o realtà?," is likely the most dramatic point in "Falstaff."
"One of the things I love about this role is at its peak I get to sing one of the best arias written for a baritone."
While comedic operas haven't been the norm for Hurt, humor isn't totally truant from his roster. Hurt has twice sung the role of Count Almaviva in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro," and he notes even characters in the most serious drama can have a droll side.
"There isn't much that's comedic about Enrico in 'Lucia di Lammermoor,' but there certainly is in Schaunard in 'La Boheme.'"
Still, to Hurt playing comedy isn't much different than drama.
"In every character you have to find the humanity. You have to play the honesty of the situation, which is not comedic at all."
Hurt gives the example of his character in "Falstaff," mistakenly believing his wife is about to sleep with the conniving knight.
"Ford is already in a state of finding out information that makes him jealous, which turns into rage. What makes it funny is how serious he is. Often the funniest from the audience's perspective is when things are the most serious for the character."
Which is more than apt in an opera whose concluding tune includes the line "Everything in the world a jest...."
Seattle Opera's "Falstaff" plays at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Saturday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, March 13. Prices start at $25. Tickets/information: 389-7676, www.seattleopera.org.
Freelance writer Maggie Larrick lives in the Seattle area and is the former editor of the News.
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