Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro
Chorus of The Marriage of Figaro
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
Tobias Ringborg
I missed seeing Sir Thomas Allen's production when it was new in 2010, but I've seen two of his other productions for Scottish Opera since then, so it was no surprise to come across a handsomely designed, fairly traditional version that mostly lets the music speak for itself, and is decidedly easy on the eye. It's nice not having to rack one's brains for the significance of every gesture sometimes, though he did throw in one little touch that puzzled me. During "Porgi amor", a little girl crosses the room, like a phantom, oblivious to the Countess's presence. I've seen one comment that suggests this is a reference to her childless state - except that according to Beaumarchais, the Almavivas are not childless - and another that suggests the child is the young Rosina, which strikes me as more likely, but still irrelevant. However, that was just one of those 'ho hum' moments you get when the director throws you for a loop for a minute; you shrug and move on.
The excitement of the evening came from the pit. The Scottish Opera Orchestra was in unusually fine form, directed from the fortepiano by the conductor Tobias Ringborg with a bright, clean sound, sharp tempi, some very characterful wind playing, and plenty of verve, a real pleasure to hear. The downside was that there were still divergences of timing between stage and pit (this was the 4th night, that sort of thing should be settled by now), with the chorus particularly at fault, and most of the male soloists being caught out at some point or other, particularly in the first act, and in the faster movements. I'm putting the blame on the singers (and partly on the conductor for not keeping it together better) because the orchestra was generally so convincing and so together that it deserved its more dominant position - the singers should have been following it more closely, rather than the other way around. However, whichever way, with another dozen or so performances ahead of them, something needs to be done. The Act 1 chorus was almost painfully off in its timing.
That glitch noted, it was possible to relax and enjoy the sparkle of the orchestral playing, and the zest the relatively youthful cast brought to the performance. It was lovely to see a couple of former company regulars reappearing, Marie McLaughlin as Marcellina, and Donald Maxwell as Antonio, both very good - more's the pity the production adhered to the habitual cuts, and left out Marcellina's Act 4 aria; McLaughlin would certainly have done it more than justice, as the experienced Mozartian she is. Eleanor Dennis and Samuel Dale Johnson were a respectable Countess and Count, Ben McAteer a solidly down-to-earth Figaro, while Graeme Broadbent was a sonorous, and amusingly pompous Dr. Bartolo.
Lucy Hall, whom I had so liked as Euridice some eighteen months ago, was a delicious Barbarina, fresh and pert, with real character, while Hanna Hipp was a warm-voiced and suitably hot-to-trot Cherubino. I wasn't always convinced by some of her ornamentation in the arias. All the soloists did so, elaborating on the repeat of the arias, so you got ABA', rather than simple ABA forms, it's fairly standard practice these days, but some of the singers handled it more smoothly than others. The evening was, however, pretty much dominated by Anna Devin's bright, crisp Suzanna, clear-voiced and always on the ball. She sang Zerlina for us three years ago, and I thought she needed a little more force of persuasion in her singing - it's arrived. This was an excellent reading, well judged from start to finish, both vocally and dramatically. Combined with the vivid orchestral presence, it ensured that there was never a dull moment to be heard.
[Next : 20th October]
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