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Tragic Essex makes his mark
Rivals in love: Alexandra Deshorties as Elizabeth and Leah-Marian Jones as Sarah with the WNO chorus. Pictures: Robert Workman Roberto Devereux Welsh National Opera Birmingham Hippodrome ***** ROBERTO Devereux at the Birmingham
Hippodrome was my first experience of seeing an Opera, which made me
somewhat nervous as I had no idea what to expect. Would this be any different to the countless
theatre productions I have seen? My pathetic lack of musical knowledge
and zero experience would surely put me at a disadvantage when seeing an
Opera! If I was to ask the majority of my 20-something
year old friends, seeing an Operatic performance wouldn’t be their first
choice of things to do on a Friday night. Welsh National Opera however are so unlike what I
expected an ‘Opera’ to be though. The company are simply awe inspiring,
showcasing superb talent from every single member of the company. WNO
performs opera for everybody and it is clear, with this production, that
you do not have to have extensive musical knowledge to simply enjoy and
appreciate their performance. Roberto Devereux is final part of the WNO’s Tudor
trilogy, following Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda. The programme’s simple
scene-by-scene synopsis, coupled with English surtitles, make it easy to
understand the spell binding production every step of the way - if it
was needed. The impeccable cast present us with such raw emotion
that you can see and feel the story unfold through the music alone
despite of the language barrier. Devereux, Earl of Essex and Elizabeth I’s lover, is accused of treason, a victim of the court intrigue and politics of late 16th century England. Elizabeth’s attempts to save him are frustrated when she finds he loves another woman, an affair which merely serves to seal his fate. Doomed affair: Leonardo Capalbo as Devereux and Leah-Marian Jones as Sarah, Duchess of Nottingham A last minute change of heart by Good Queen
Bess comes too late to save her lover and she his left distraught and
alone in the world. We start with a booming and sweeping overture taking us into the emotionally-charged world of Elizabethan England in the safe hands of WNO for the next two and a half hours. It was a pleasure to listen to, a wonderful
reminder of the important part the supremely talented WNO orchestra,
this time under Italian conductor Christian Capocaccia, play in
any production. Director Alessandro Talevi has provided a masterpiece of theatre with his imagination running wild through Donizetti’s sumptuous score, frequently sending chills down the spine. Talevi’s theatrical vision has given his cast the
tools to create an enchanting story. Sung in beautiful Italian, you are
left speechless by both the wonderful cast and some awesome wonders of
set, costume and special effects from British award winning designer
Madeleine Boyd. There were spell-binding performances from the
whole company, in particular American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, as the
title character, French-Canadian soprano Alexandra Deshorties, who sings
Elizabeth I and Welsh Mezzo sporano Leah-Marian Jones as Sarah, Duchess
of Nottingham, the other woman I this fated love triangle. The trio, along with Sarah’ husband, but perhaps
not her lover, the Duke of Nottingham, sung by Welsh baritone , David
Kempster envelop us their world filled with passion, intensity and
tragedy as Devereux heads towards his inevitable date with the
executioner’s axe. Devereux, incidentally, executed on Tower Green
on 25 February, 1601, was the last person to be beheaded in the Tower of
London. It reputedly took three strokes to complete the beheading. The Welsh National Opera have certainly given me
the warmest of welcomes to Opera - and I am waiting with anticipation
for their next production. Elizabeth Halpin WNO’s Tudor Season
continues, along with Puccini’s Tosca, at Venue Cymru, Llandudno,
Tues 19 to Sat 23 Nov: 01492 872000
www.wno.org.uk
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