United Kingdom Mozart, Don Giovanni (live performance efficiency): Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Saffron Opera Group / Michael Thorne (conductor). Saffron Hall, 19.2.2023. (KB)
Charles Rice – Don Giovanni
Charlie Drummond – Donna Anna
William Morgan – Don Ottavio
Alexandra Lowe – Donna Elvira
Nicholas Crawley – Leporello
Natalie Montakhab – Zerlina
Frederick Long – Masetto
Julian Close – Commendatore
The Saffron Opera Group, at the moment celebrating its tenth anniversary, started marking the event with this live performance efficiency of Don Giovanni at Saffron Hall, a venue whose shiny, resonant acoustic is as grateful to singing voices as it’s to instrumentalists.
In an period the place it’s turning into commonplace apply to undertake brisk, ‘period instrument’ speeds for Mozart, it was a rarity to listen to maestro Michael Thorne and the Saffron Opera Group Orchestra take the overture at such a stately, measured tempo. I welcomed it: it might be heresy to say so, however I really feel {that a} maestoso brings out the sheer blood-curdling horror of the music in a manner {that a} brisker, ‘early music’ rendition doesn’t. I used to be much less completely satisfied that the sluggish, measured strategy prolonged to another areas of the rating the place it might be higher to push on, however the Act I finale pretty crackled. While it was not doable to separate out the gamers for the three dances, the scene labored its traditional magic, and in Act II the Commendatore and his three trombones resided on the balcony above the stage, the place they sounded splendidly eerie.
In widespread with the Saffron Opera Group’s earlier shows, this was an ‘on book’ live performance, however with loads of interplay and character-building. The undeniable fact that the conductor was not simply seen to the singers, most of whom have been performing their roles for the primary time, might have accounted for just a few transient disconnects between the singers and gamers.
The main duo labored up an excellent partnership. Charles Rice’s wily, smiling, irresponsibly horny charmer of a Don Giovanni sang with fantastically assured, golden tone, exuded sexual magnetism and mirrored acutely all Giovanni’s reactions to these round him. Nicholas Crawley’s febrile, notebook-wielding Leporello was a ball of offended power who radiated rage and enjoyment of equal measure (for all his grumbling, Leporello would by no means have stayed with Giovanni for thus lengthy if he didn’t get pleasure from what they obtained as much as). Both are baritones, however their voices are sufficiently completely different in timbre to be simply distinguishable. That made their Act II scenes in disguise particularly scrumptious, as they impersonated each other’s distinctive voices and visible tics with depraved accuracy.
The three women have been fantastically contrasted. Alexandra Lowe has gained golden opinions for her work with the Royal Opera, and her singing and appearing as Donna Elvira demonstrated that she is already in command of the function. Mi Tradi was magnificent and pretty stopped the present. In a beautiful floral robe, she resembled a rejected bride, besides when disguised as a masquerader, when she was dressed to kill in a black sequined robe revealing her leg (Look, Don Giovanni, that is what you’re lacking!). She introduced out the sides of Elvira’s complicated persona, raging at her betrayer, attempting to cover her harm behind scornful laughter throughout Madamina till she needed to flip away to cover her ache, impatient with Donna Anna’s fears, able to kill Leporello together with her naked fingers on studying of her having been deceived in Act II. She carried a rating, however not often wanted to make use of it. A star flip. Charlie Drummond, who has performed a lot wonderful work with Scottish Opera, confirmed an admirable command of Donna Anna’s troublesome music, crusing by the tough passages on the finish of Non mi dir which has caught out many a extra skilled soprano, and emphasised each the character’s vulnerability and her emotional isolation.
Natalie Montakhab was a candy, fresh-voiced, roguish Zerlina who by no means left the viewers in any doubt that her main allegiance was to Frederick Long’s likeable, trustworthy Masetto – the little glances they exchanged have been fairly cute, talking of the deep affection between the 2 which Don Giovanni disturbed however finally couldn’t break. William Morgan was a grandstanding Don Ottavio who proclaimed his arias as if he have been Cavaradossi. Slightly restraint might need been welcome: Mozart will not be Puccini. Julian Close, an skilled Fafner and shortly to sing Hagen for Longborough Festival Opera, was in a category of his personal because the Commendatore. His voice is so resonant that he sounds as if he’s carrying a microphone when he isn’t. He thundered forth the statue’s pronouncements with apocalyptic energy and owned the platform at any time when he was on it.
The Saffron Opera Group’s refrain had a twin persona: on the platform in Act I they have been genial marriage ceremony visitors, however in Act II they retreated to the rear of the auditorium, the place their voices echoed spookily over the heads of the startled viewers as Don Giovanni was dragged to Hell.
For this September’s presentation, Saffron Opera Group will take a break from their traditional Wagner to carry out Der Rosenkavalier. A mouthwatering prospect.
Katie Barnes