RALEIGH, NC – At its best, opera folds together engaging narrative, vivid dialogue, stellar singing and mood-building orchestration. Add in exotic sets, lavish costumes, and gripping action, and you have an art form that has captivated audiences for four centuries.

Sunday’s concert performance of Verdi’s Ernani by North Carolina Opera encompassed thoughtful characterizations and compelling melodies but obviously lacked the visual dimension that reliably transports audience members into that rarified world of musical drama. Absent, for instance, were the modest props, period attire and occasional blocking that made NCO’s semi-staged performance of Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West so memorable last year.

An expansive orchestra and chorus filled most of the stage of Meymandi Concert Hall for NCO’s 2024-25 season opener. Clad in formalwear, a small cast of operatic soloists sang their roles with varying degrees of dramatic flourish, interacting as much with the audience as with each other. It was a different way to experience Grand opera – one that concentrated attention on Verdi’s richly Romantic score.

Based on a Victor Hugo play, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, Ernani – Verdi’s fifth opera – made its debut in 1844 in Venice. U.S. audiences got to experience it for the first time in 1847 at New York’s Park Theater. NCO general director Eric Mitchko explained that Sunday’s performance in Raleigh was (surprisingly!) the work’s North Carolina debut.

Giorgio Berrugi, tenor

The story takes place against the politically fertile backdrop of 16th century Spain. Three powerful men vie against each other for the affection of young Elvira. They include her aging uncle, Silva, and Don Carlo, the ambitious King of Spain. But Elvira wants only Ernani, a one-time nobleman whose recent misfortunes have forced him to cast his lot with a group of underworld rebels. A series of fleeting alliances among the three men drive the plot forward, though both Elvira and Ernani realize early on that their love is doomed.

Leah Crocetto, soprano

Pride, passion, and resentment dominate the narrative. So too does politics, as Act III witnesses the rise of Don Carlo to the position of Holy Roman Emperor. Seeking to embody the virtues of Charlemagne, Don Carlo issues a pardon to those who had plotted against him and affirms Ernani’s marriage to Elvira. Silva offers no such mercy, reminding Ernani of an unusual pact the two made earlier to free Elvira in exchange for Ernani taking his own life. This is, after all, Spain during the Renaissance, where honor prevails above all else – leaving the title character no choice but to make good on his end of the bargain.

Andrew Manea, baritone

As Ernani, the youthful Italian tenor Giorgio Berrugi brought depth and sympathy to the role, conveying a full spectrum of emotions. Berrugi sings mostly in Europe, and his recent performances include the role Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walkure at the Vienna State Opera and as tenor soloist in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony for the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. American soprano Leah Crocetto brought warmth and relatability to the role of Elvira. Her coloratura provided much-needed lift to the music, which is dominated by the male cast and dark strings. It was Crocetto’s third performance with NCO – and hopefully her busy international schedule will bring her back to the Oak City soon.

Also returning to Raleigh was baritone Andrew Manea as Don Carlo. Manea gained notice last year in NCO’s production of La Traviata, and he brought the same commanding presence to the role of Spain’s ambitious king. His most penetrating moments came early in Act III as Carlo recounts his ascent to power, waxing somberly with a solo cello. Austrian Bass Anthony Robin Schneider projected a delicate blend of cynicism and naïveté to the part of Silva, the jealous nobleman.

Anthony Robin Schneider, bass

Conductor Jakob Lehmann ensured the large group of musicians sang and played as one, moving the two-and-a-half-hour production along at an engaging pace. Lehmann conducted last year’s NCO performance of The Barber of Seville, and he maintains a thick calendar of performances and recording projects, mostly in Europe. Highlighting Sunday’s production was NCO’s excellent chorus, which rose periodically from the rear of the stage to intensify the sound, paint in context and add excitement. The performance marked a farewell for NCO Chorusmaster Scott MacLeod, who departs the company after 11 years to pursue an academic position at the University of Illinois.

Jakob Lehmann, conductor

The welcoming staff of the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts worked effectively to direct audience members around the crowded building. With its terrific acoustics and comfortable seating, Meymandi Hall is the ideal venue for opera produced in a concert format. But Triangle opera lovers no doubt are eager to return to Memorial Auditorium for fully staged performances of Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas on January 30 and February 1 of next year. Before the new year, however, NCO will also present The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, a play with music featuring mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in the Fletcher Opera Theater.