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The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lucia di Lammermoor review – Jennifer France is a delight in touching and convincing Donizetti staging
A murderess who goes mad or a madwoman who commits murder? Donizetti's bel canto bloodbath has lost none of its power to intrigue as well as entertain in the 190 years since its Naples premiere. In Cecilia Stinton's thoughtful new staging the heroine is a charmer, a little wacky perhaps, prone to the odd hallucination maybe, but in different circumstances you imagine she'd be fun to be around. It's also clear from the sexual violence played out behind the backs of her testosterone-fuelled lover and brother as they sing a rollicking duet on the forestage that when this Lucia kills it will be in self-defence. Opera Holland Park is ideally placed to host a traditional production. Neil Irish's sets, subtly lit by Tim van 't Hof, seem to grow out of the Jacobean walls of Holland House. The action is partly set inside a crumbling mansion, here pointedly in need of repair. The rest occurs in and around the lichen-encrusted cemetery where the soil is still fresh on the grave of Lucia's mother. With the orchestra located in the middle of the action, Stinton uses a potentially tricksy space well, though the busy chorus of parlour maids, gardeners and wedding guests could be more imaginatively blocked at times, and the 19th-century Scottish dad dancing was perhaps a step too far. Michael Papadopoulos' way with Donizetti's tuneful score is another asset. There's real care and attention in the way he shapes phrases and encourages the City of London Sinfonia to breathe in time with the singers. The 35 players produce a satisfyingly weighty sound, especially in the lively party scenes and the turbulence of the Act III storm. The OHP chorus is similarly rock-solid. Leading a fine cast is Jennifer France, a bright, flexible soprano whose unforced warmth wins the audience's sympathy from the outset. Playful, even cheeky at first, her descent into the grave – quite literally – where she plasters her blood-stained wedding dress with earth, is both consistent and credible. Her hushed singing is a delight, her coloratura secure. Only the high F feels a stretch, and then only just. Her Edgardo is Portuguese tenor José de Eça. His is a thoroughly Italianate sound, rich and ringing, though a couple of softer high notes fell slightly flat. The final death scene is, for once, convincing. Australian baritone Morgan Pearse sings Lucia's hard-hearted brother Enrico with impressive heft and plenty of ping to the voice. Among the supporting roles, Blaise Malaba is a genially resonant Raimondo and Joseph Buckmaster a sprightly toned Arturo. A shout out too for stylish mezzo Charlotte Badham who made an indelible mark as Lucia's companion Alisa. Their touching, delicately sculpted relationship was one of the production's unexpected pleasures. Until 1 August.
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Così Fan Tutte review – country house remix offers fresh farce, fun and energy
Atop its elegant Leicestershire hill, the operatic foundations of the Nevill Holt festival feel more secure right now than those of the beleaguered state funded companies down in the cities. The stable courtyard at Nevill Holt was converted into a comfortable 400-seat opera house seven years ago, and now this year's festival also offers the first fruits of a tie-up with Leeds-based Opera North, who will take a new production south for the coming five years. This summer's Così Fan Tutte offers alternating casts under the assured and energised conducting of Chris Hopkins. But it is not in every respect a wholly new production. Cecilia Stinton's direction and George Leigh's designs provide a specially created version of Mozart's opera for the Nevill Holt residency. Yet there remain traces, notably in the costumes, of the Tim Albery production that did sterling work for Opera North from 2009. Perhaps it is best to think of this as a country house remix of Albery's Cosi. Another survival is that this version is in English. This brings terrific immediacy, even for those who can follow Lorenzo Da Ponte's punning Italian original. The programme gives no single writer the credit, but it is a witty and succinct translation that adds to the overall fun and pace. 'One man is as good as another; and they are all good for nothing,' sings Dorabella, as she and her sister Fiordiligi debate how to deal with their respective suitors. Stinton places the cynical philosopher Don Alfonso at the centre of things. This Alfonso is not simply trying to prove his misogynistic point about women's affections. He is trying to prove it inside an opera-within-an-opera version of Così that he is himself writing and directing. Confused? It sometimes gets that way. But it is a device that offers plenty of opportunities for stage farce, as well as adding fresh layers of transgressive ambiguity to an opera that is already full of them. Vocally, all six principals make a mark. Seán Boylan's stylish Guglielmo and Egor Zhuravskii's ardently sung Ferrando are a well-matched pair of officers turned increasingly troubled pawns in Alfonso's game. Among the women, Ella Taylor's Fiordiligi is particularly fine in her two formidable arias and for her ability to command expressive softness as well as strength. Heather Lowe's Dorabella is bright voiced and engagingly acted. Claire Lees knows all the ropes as Despina and has little difficulty stealing the show when she needs to do so. It helps most of all, though, that William Dazeley is such a well acted and sung Alfonso. Mozart may have denied Alfonso the chance to shine in an aria of his own, but he is very much the puppet-master. Or at least in this version he is until the final moments, when his traumatised charges finally revolt against his loveless philosophy and chase him from the stage. Nevill Holt festival continues until 22 June
