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Heading for the altar: David Soar as Figaro (centre): Pictures: Bill Cooper The
Marriage of Figaro
Welsh
National Opera Birmingham
Hippodrome **** THE
Marriage of Figaro
is often regarded as one of the most perfect of operas and
Lluis Pasqual's
production does not make one think in any other way. The
aspect of impending political turmoil is deftly captured in this
production, interestingly and creatively set in the house and gardens of
Count Almaviva, some distance from Seville in the Spain of the 1930s.
As is so important with this
opera, there is a cast ready to deliver the humour, the energy and the
many musical highlights of this rather "mad”
day in the life of an aristocratic household. The conductor, Anthony Negus
was successful in conveying even the smallest ironies embedded in the
opera, thus bringing the polyphony to the fore of the mind of the
audience. The orchestra demonstrated a
real respect for Mozart's wonderful score and
the humor radiated throughout. The pace was spot on and the orchestra
worked together in order to do real justice to this masterpiece of
orchestral writing. The plot of Figaro itself is
complex and does take a little time to understand, especially when sung
in Italian with intermittent surtitles positioned way above the
proscenium, giving rise to a rather stiff neck after sitting in the
stalls for three and a half hours and attempting to also watch the
action on stage!
The voices of the Countess
(Rebecca Evans, soprano), Count Almaviva (Dario Solari, baritone),
Susanna, (Elizabeth Watts, soprano), and Figaro (David Soar, bass), were
all strong and well matched, which was very important because Mozart's
numerous ensembles require that each voice be heard individually at the
same time and that the “One” idea of the ensemble is also heard as they
sing together. Also in solo arias, including
Cherubino, (Jurgita Adamonyté, mezzo-soprano), the performers captivated
the audience with a clear desire to get across Mozart's
ideas. For me, Act 3 was the
highlight of this production as conductor, soloists and chorus worked
impeccably together in order to ensure quite a magical montage of
beautiful melodies and clear musical overtones. The design of the final act
was a little difficult and unsteady and the audience should certainly
not see the up stage right Deputy Stage Manager, however this should not
detract from what was another triumph for Welsh National Opera. Adrian Jackson
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