Past Production Reviews
4This opera and Warner’s production show very clearly Otello’s descent into jealous madness, contrasted with the jubilant scenes at the start, where the wonderful movement among the actors forms a prelude to his victorious arrival after defeating the Saracens in the eastern Mediterranean.
Keith Warner’s 2017 production at London’s Royal Opera House, now revived, takes us beyond these shores into the darkest corners of Otello’s tower. Gregory Kunde sings the titular role of Otello. He steps into Jonas Kaufmann’s shoes. No easy task. But Kunde has become a familiar face at the ROH, performing three times in as many years since his 2016 debut. And he can clearly hold his own.
'Katiuska' is the first work for the scene that Pablo Sorozábal composed, thus giving the composer a turn from symphonic to lyric music. His gifts, not only for the orchestra and melody, but also for the stage, made him the center of the last stage in the history of zarzuela. The fineness of the music stands out from the first scene, an elegant orchestration, good concert performers, intense and varied romances, as well as a collection of dance performances and comic or exotic numbers typical of the operetta genre.
The sinner Don Giovanni is an expert and easygoing Carlos Álvarez , who combines stage presence with a vocal power at the service of a mature character, a Don Giovanni who knows his stuff and does not have to prove anything to those around him. Brilliant and vocally fit, Mirco Palazzi's Leporello : witty anguished as much by the fate of his master as and above all by his own, it offers a vocal richness that goes far beyond its texture and a truly captivating interpretation. Among the victims of the dissolute, Erika Grimaldi's Donna Anna offers a heartfelt and heartfelt song, albeit with a particular voice that sometimes needs to open closed vowels to better direct the sound. The other seduced and also abandoned is a dynamicCarmela Remigio in the role of Donna Elvira: a whirlwind of a strong-willed and vindictive woman, who makes centers her strong point vocally, effective scenically. Anna's betrothed is a concentrate of sweetness and patience embodied in the tenor Juan Francisco Gatell . Being able to sing both of his arias in this production, for 'Dalla sua pace' he is literally 'lulled' by the orchestra giving a particularly incisive force to the words expressed. On the other hand, the agility as regards 'My treasure' in the second act can be perfected. Zerlina is a lively and by no means naive Rocío Ignacio , very breezy and who plays with his timbre the good Masetto of Fabio Maria Capitanucci . Finally, a great interpretation of the Commendatore byGianluca Buratto : his voice is wide and truly sonorous, which almost seems to dominate the orchestra when he sings in the pit as a statue. Maestro Daniele Rustioni conducts the orchestra of the Regio . Many colors of Mozart notes, precise and appropriate dynamics, maximum attention to the stage. The young conductor navigates safe water in the score and also seems to us to be in excellent feeling with the orchestra. In the most lyrical moments it is enriched with accents that almost move. Good performance by the choir directed by Andrea Secchi. Crowded hall, particularly satisfied audience with all the creators of the show, from the artists to the director.
