Past Production Reviews
15A run of A Midsummer Night's Dream has just concluded in Genoa at Teatro Carlo Felice. A stunningly beautiful production with sets by Gary McCann, and evocative lighting by John Bishop, which created everchanging spaces for the singers. A theatre within the theatre is defined by a coloured ‘proscenium' that subtly shifts colour and intensity. It is raised, which also niftily solves the problem of the court watching the mechanicals' play yet not blocking the view of the paying punters in the stalls. Below the raised stage is a grassy bank where lovers sleep, and magic potion is applied (by an Italian Puck, the only cast member who was not a native English speaker). In the raised theatre only the trunks of trees are seen, trees so enormous that their unseen upper branches reach well beyond the roof of the opera house. The trunks spread out or group together in copses, with projections at the back of the stage – sometimes naturalistic, sometimes creating a dreamscape – producing astonishing depth. Bishop's meticulously shaped lighting makes the space both threatening and joyful.
"Una buena sorpresa resultó ser Anna Tobella, quien dibujó un convincente Smeton vocal y teatralmente."
Russian performers gave this fine production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece a compelling authenticity – and ramped up the drama
It is a treat to hear an opera played and sung as well as it is tonight, and then to go out into the summer night – it’s like being at an opera festival. Add to this Puccini’s ‘Tosca’, with its bold gestures, doomed lovers, and colourful score, and it makes for an enticing prospect. From the beginning, the first thing to notice is the vivid sound of the orchestra itself, full of rich and vibrant colour. Past problems with the acoustic here seem a pale memory, or maybe Puccini’s orchestration suits this space better than earlier music. Conducted by newcomer Nil Venditti, she leads an all-female musical direction team (including chorus master and assistant conductor), possibly a first for this company, and a fact worth celebrating alone.
From its opening overture, Puccini's music for Tosca seethes with cinematic sweep. Like a Hollywood epic, or old time serial, it brims with tension and suspense. Except Hollywood wasn't around in 1900 when Tosca first premiered. Rather it was Puccini who would come to influence cinema's musical conventions, especially the wild heights of melodrama. Which conductor Nil Venditti and the Irish National Opera Orchestra take unbridled delight in, ensuring Irish National Opera's Tosca is a stirring, passionate production.
Come sempre si rivelano ottimi i comprimari, dall’Hanezò ben timbrato e curato di Francesco Samuele Venuti all’incisivo Federico di Dave Monaco, con una particolare nota a Caterina Meldolesi nel ruolo della sua omonima, sia per le sempre assai apprezzabili doti vocali che per quelle sceniche.
Affiatati, ben assortiti e perfettamente calibrati anche gli altri commedianti, dalla calda voce di basso del Truffaldino di Vladimir Sazdovski, ai due ben timbrati Scaramuccio (Mathias Frey) e Brighella (Carlos Natale), Tra le tre ninfe spicca per volume e qualità dello strumento la Dryade di Adriana Di Paola, mentre appare perfettibile la Najade di Nofar Yacobi e ben centrata Chiara Notarnicola quale Echo.
“Worth waiting for...a hugely enjoyable production”
Anna Alàs i Jove, como Annio, el enamorado de Servilia, fue otra de las más aplaudidas y, además, se mueve en escena con mucha agilidad
Annio interpretado por una adecuada Anna Alàs i Jové, muy grácil en escena y con una oscura y bella voz.
Peter Bording is terrific as Figaro. His euphonious voice resembles a young Thomas Hampson and he plays the role with dedication. His duet with Strobos is one of the highlights of the evening.
Peter Bording campe un Figaro incroyablement hâbleur, véloce et charmeur. Doté d’une voix solide et pleine d’abattage, le baryton néerlandais ne fait qu’une bouchée du « Largo al factotum », maîtrisant de manière très satisfaisante le syllabisme vertigineux de cet air célébrissime. On admire également la maîtrise du souffle, impeccable, tandis que l’aigu et le grave se révèlent solides par l’éclat et la stabilité du son. Peter Bording camps an incredibly boastful, fast and charming Figaro. Endowed with a solid voice and full of slaughter, the Dutch baritone makes only one bite of the "Largo al factotum", mastering the vertiginous syllabism of this most famous aria in a very satisfactory manner. One also admires the impeccable mastery of breath control, while both the upper and lower registers of the voice are solid in terms of brightness and stability of sound. (translated from the French original)
