I wasn't originally due to see Rossini's Donna del Lago until 7th June but a last minute ticket appeared and I grabbed the chance for an early visit. With a cast featuring Joyce Di Donato and Juan Diego Florez my expectations were high to say the least. This was staged in a new production by John Fulljames, the ROH Associate Director of Opera and I think its fair to say that interest was high, especially after his boss's less than successful Eugene Onegin earlier in the season.
This is one of Rossini's neglected opera and hasn't been seen at Covent Garden since 1985 and I can understand why. Only the best Rossini singers will do and you simply have to wait until they appear before you even think about staging this. You need not only one but two world class mezzo-sopranos and two world beating Rossini tenors, one for a role that on paper should be un-singable. Luckily ROH have assembled a cast that pretty much hits the target musically.
This is my first time (there's that phrase again) of hearing Joyce di Donato and Juan Diego Florez live in the theatre and I wasn't disappointed in either of them. Both displayed the virtuosity required by Rossini while still managing to convincingly portray their characters in somewhat trying circumstances - more on that later. But this is not Verdi or verismo - the voice is the thing here and if there is any reason to go and see this opera then its for the voice - not for the drama.
One of my pet hates on opera is the convention of a woman playing a male role - or 'trouser role'. I find it so ridiculous most of the time that it totally takes me out of the story being told in front of me. However Daniela Barcellona as Malcolm, almost succeeded in convincing me she was indeed a hairy Highland warrior - kudos to wardrobe and make-up. But of course the voice is still recognisable feminine and the illusion is destroyed. Impressive singing by the kilted Ms Barcellona though.
Kasper Holten announced that Colin Lee was unwell and unable to sing the fearsome role of Rodrigo - the second virtuostic tenor role in this opera, and Michael Spyres had stepped into the breach. I have to say that I think he has a freakish voice - but that is what the role calls for. His voice is baritonal - but not in the Kaufmann sense of the word. He is most definitely a tenor but when the low notes are called for he can throw them out with abandon - sometimes sounding more like a bass than a tenor. But then the high notes come forth and it leaves you wondering just what sort of singer this was written for - a very impressive one obviously.
That was the good - now onto the production.
The basic concept looked to be an operatic "Night at the Museum", with Elena (the Lady of the Lake) in a glass cabinet, along with other cabinets containing various mementos and gentlemen in 19th centenary evening dress wandering around getting very excited by their exhibition. Elena is then released from her cabinet and the story proper begins but not without the annoying presence of one or more actors observing the action as it unfolds. Also present were singers costumed as Rossini and Sir Walter Scott - to what end I really don't know. Combine that with unwarranted rape scenes and you get a production that really doesn't know what it wants to be - apart from controversial maybe? It seems that I was not in the minority as the production team received plenty of boos at the curtain call while the singers were cheered to the rafters.
And on top of that a lot of the action took place on the left of the stage - coincidentally the bit of the stage I couldn't really see from my restricted view seat. Now I don't expect all the action to take place centre stage but when you have a theatre with a traditional horse-shoe shape, to stage 70% of the action to one side of the stage seems bizarre.
In conclusion this was a very frustrating night - the singing top rate but the staging not only annoying but detracting from the performance. Go see it for the singing if you can and if you really want to see the production find a seat centre or on the right of the auditorium.
Luckily for me, I had a second visit to see Don Carlo planned for the following night. And what a contrast it was. I won't go into all the detail here (see previous post) but the singing here was just as sublime and in its own way as virtuostic as the Rossini, but here the production (although not ideal) didn't interfere with the drama - no dead composers on stage and no silent observers of the drama. Just a straightforward telling of the story which didn't need any concept pasted on. The singing and acting were even better than when I saw this the first time, each singer now completely within the character they were portraying. The final act duet for Carlos and Elisabetta once again almost had me in tears - quite frankly I don't expect to hear it sung so beautifully again for quite a long time - if ever.
In contrast to the previous evening the audience cheered to the rafters, almost unwilling to let the cast go as they took bow after bow. There was a special feeling in the house and I felt privileged to have been there. Simply magical.
And that's the beauty of opera - one night so frustrating you want to scream, and the next so sublime you want to weep. And that's also why I keep going back for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment