Past Production Reviews
4Whenever Semyon Bychkov conducts Strauss I think I've died and gone to heaven. Here though, as he hauls himself through late Mozart, it's the other place that beckons. This Così fan tutte is beyond effortful: the maestro's laboured tempos in most of the arias are so extreme that he adds 15 minutes to the opera's standard running time.After a vocally tight first duet, both Corinne Winters and Angela Brower give delightful accounts of the young women. Winters in particular sings a Fiordiligi of rare range and beauty, with surprisingly strong mezzo notes as well as a radiant upper range. Brower's Dorabella could be more flighty in the second act, but that is down to the director's focus. Gloger shows little interest, either, in exploring the character of Despina, Alfonso's aide-de-camp, although Sabina Puértolas does what she can with her. Alessio Arduini sings a richly basso-shaded Guglielmo most winningly, but it is Daniel Behle who steals the laurels with an account of Ferrando's "Un' aura amorosa" in which time stands still (with a little help from Bychkov). What an exciting tenor he is! It all looks great, with an extravagance of fast-changing eye candy from designer Ben Baur that's exquisitely lit by Bernd Purkrabek, but the price to pay for Gloger's cleverness is an almost total detachment from the characters' psychological interplay—and that's a killer blow to this of all operas. Should the conductor share the blame for that? This Così will earn a revival, so we'll see.
This is especially true during concert performances when we realise how significant they are vocally and dramatically to an opera. There were three ear-catching vignettes from Giuseppe Esposito as the Innkeeper in Act I,
Musicalmente Impeccabile, Disciplinata E Mai Sopra Le Righe, Federica Guida, Al Debutto Scaligero, Ha Delineato Una Despina Ben Consapevole Degli Affetti Umani.
Federica Guida, Poi, Conferma Di Essere Più Che Una Promessa: Dopo Il Trionfo A Portofino Con Le Acrobazie Vocali Della Regina Della Notte, Sa Adattarsi Con Gusto E Spigliatezza Alla Tessitura Ben Più Centralizzante Di Despina, A Cui Offre La Grazia Di Una Figura Bella E Giovanile E La Brillantezza Della Sua Giovane Età. E Il Fatto Che Nei Due Travestimenti Rinunci Alle Orride Vociaccie Caricaturali Praticate Da Troppe Sue Colleghe È Qualcosa Di Cui La Ringraziamo Sentitamente.
