United Kingdom Wolf-Ferrari and Leoncavallo: Soloists, Kids from Pimlico Musical Basis, Refrain of Opera Holland Park, Metropolis of London Sinfonia / John Andrews (conductor, Wolf-Ferrari), Francesco Cilluffo (conductor, Leoncavallo). Opera Holland Park, London, 17.7.2024. (CC)
Wolf-Ferrari – Il segreto di Susanna
Manufacturing:
Director – John Wilkie
Designer – takis
Lighting designer – Mark Jonathan
Solid:
Clare Presland – Countess Susanna
Richard Burkhard – Rely Gil
John Savournin –Sante
Naomi Kilby & Kirsty McLean – Maid
Leoncavallo – Pagliacci
Manufacturing:
Director – Richard Lloyd-Evans
Designer – Bridget Kimak
Lighting designer – Mark Jonathan
Intimacy and Struggle director – Haruka Kuroda
Solid:
David Butt Philip – Canio
Alison Langer – Nedda
Robert Hayward – Tonio
Zwakele Tshabalala – Beppe
Harry Thatcher – Silvio
A double serving to of applause for the programming right here: on the one hand, it’s good to see Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci de-coupled from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusitcana, and as we will see, the selection of Susanna’s Secret presents a lot wealthy change of concepts; on the opposite, it’s fascinating to see the Wolf-Ferrari once more with a distinct companion (beforehand, in 2019, it shared a night with Tchaikovsky’s great Iolanta). That set of performances was to be, it turned out, Opera Holland Park’s final pre-lockdown.
This new coupling labored brilliantly, and lt can also be extremely related. Habit met home violence (an insert inside the programme booklet sought to provide recommendation for these ‘affected’ by points in Pagliacci by pointing within the path of the Nationwide Home Abuse Helpline – very a lot an indication of the occasions). Each takes on the idea of sexual jealousy, in full-blooded verismo trend for Pag, and with a far gentler hand in Susanna.
For Il segreto di Susanna, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s brilliantly deft one-acter (first carried out in Munich in 1909), we heard the rating in a discount by Dan Jenkins (carried out in association with the publishers Josef Weinberger Restricted). Reductions have gotten a daily a part of the operatic scene nowadays, and so they appear to crop up quite a bit at OHP and Wolf-Ferrari’s rating loses a few of its lushness in consequence, however fortunately underneath the professional steering of John Andrews, the loss felt minimal. Andrews appeared to have the right tempi all through.
Director Jon Wilkie’s manufacturing is good. Costumes match gadgets on the set giving a pleasant sense of visible coherence, and the lighting designs from taxis help the thought of a comedy-drama inside a nobleman’s home fantastically. A Comedy of Errors with greater than a contact of Upstairs, Downstairs is the vibe. The Countess Susanna’s secret is, in fact, that she smokes; however her husband suspects she has taken a lover. Three silent characters are added in John Wilkie’s manufacturing: a butler (John Savourin) and two charming, giggly maids (Naomi Kilby and Valerie Wong).
The OHP stage house is used effectively: we will even glimpse the ‘offstage’ piano round Rely Gil’s ‘Evitiam che un domestico’. It’s all brilliantly slick, and the identical might definitely be mentioned of the Metropolis of London Sinfonia’s contribution underneath Andrews.
Solid and conductor have been broadly the identical as in 2019 (one of many maids, Kirsty McLean, was changed right here by Valerie Wong). Savournin’s butler was fabulously humorous, nevertheless it was Richard Burkhard’s Gil that stole the present
Clare Presland was introduced as having been unwell within the days beforehand, and the idea was considerably sub-that of 2019, often too quiet and edgy. And but her concluding aria, ‘O gioia la nube leggera’, was really touching, enshrined in a halo of strings and celesta, expertly marshalled by Andrews. Moments of magic.
It was although the Rely of Richard Burkhard that dominated, Maybe his most beautiful second was ‘Il dolce idillio’ (he initiates an excellent duet with the Countess). Andrews impressed the orchestra to their finest (it was a close-run factor, however they sounded higher within the Wolf-Ferrari than within the Leoncavallo); even the cruelly excessive and fast violin strains succeeded; Andrews’s gestures confirmed his in-depth information of the rating.
And so to Pagliacci. Set in twentieth-century Italy (across the Nineteen Forties), the set conversion was clearly concerned – therefore the 35-minute plus interval (fairly a late end for these heading throughout London). The discount this time was by ‘Tony Burke @ Pocket Productions,’ which inevitably detracted just a little from the facility of the opening (those that know Serafin’s traditional 1954 account will know what I imply right here). However, conductor Francesco Cilluffo discovered a lot subtlety within the scoring (sarcastically, he comes contemporary from a Mascagni manufacturing at Wexford, though not Cav: as a substitute, Le maschere). If the Metropolis of London Sinfonia was a contact much less ignited underneath his path than underneath Andrews, there was a lot to take pleasure in, and, like, Andrews, his tempi appeared completely chosen (extra room for rubato in Pag, and Cilluffo judged it effectively).
Richard Lloyd-Evans’s manufacturing performs with the thought of staging and audiences, which is logical as, like Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, we get each backstage and opera performances in a single piece. So, the Prologue (Sì può) is carried out to the onstage viewers. Later, the ‘actual’ viewers will get dragged into the motion – the homicide is carried out off the OHP stage and inside the viewers house, including to the sense of verismo.
It’s certainly luxurious to have Robert Hayward as Tonio, correctly threatening in his manner, his vocal energy plain (allow us to not overlook his latest Alberich in Gotterdämmerung on the Royal Competition Corridor). Sporting a stick to point his incapacity, Hayward commanded the stage, his brutish actions visceral.
It takes quite a bit to high that however enter David Butt Philip (who had really sung within the 2019 Iolanta, as Rely Vaudemort, however right here had the right probability to shine as Canio/Pagliacci). Butt Philip has all of it: a spread that means there’s greater than a touch of the latter-day ‘baritenor’ about him, plus burnished excessive notes that will need to have been heard so far as Knightsbridge. Add to this superlative diction, and a ‘Vesti la giubba’ for the ages, and also you get a efficiency to treasure.
Nedda was brilliantly portrayed by Alison Langer, who was the stand-out performer, as Gilda, in OHP’s 2023 Rigoletto. The Silvio, Harry Thatcher, took some time to heat into the position, however discovered his ft (fortunately in time for a really spine-tingling ‘Tutto scordiam’ with Langer), whereas Zwakele Tshabalala was a robust Beppe.
Opera Holland Park continues to go from energy to energy. After a miraculous, revelatory Puccini Edgar earlier within the season (evaluation), this coupling continued the development of vivid, spine-tingling opera. Subsequent up on their schedule, Handel’s Acis and Galatea.
Colin Clarke
Featured Picture: David Butt Philip as Canio in Pagliacci © Ali Wright
