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John Longmuir
Tenor
Production reviews (6)
11 Nov 2021 - 24 Sep 2023
State Opera of South Australia | Opera Queensland | Seattle Opera | New Zealand Opera | Performances (10)
CP
Il Conte d'Almaviva
(Tenor)
Many of my generation were introduced to Rossini’s famed opera buffa The Barber of Sevillevia the famed Warner Brothers’ cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Director Lindy Hume’s vision of the work derives much from this technicoloured short, with its almost gaudy costumes and highly effective lighting (Tracy Grant Lord and Matthew Marshall respectively). The sets are domina...
Versatile conductor Graham Abbott surprisingly cut his Rossinian teeth on this occasion, getting right to the heart of the comedy and the helter-skelter nature of the music, and drawing excellent sound and pacing from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. The overture was perfectly paced, with nice work from the woodwinds, foreshadowing the musical fun to come. The mostly male chorus of t...
Lindy Hume’s production of The Barber of Seville for State Opera South Australia is a delightful romp that uproariously brings to life the mischievous liar, womaniser and conman Figaro. It’s colourfully vivacious, flamboyant and, most importantly, extremely well sung. Plus it has a few clever modern touches, too, that hoist this venerable 200-year-old comic opera into the present. H...
26 Mar 2021 - 24 Sep 2023
Gastone
(Tenor)
“Rame Lahaj (...) radiates unbridled passion across the water.”
“As Alfredo Germont the Kosovar tenor Rame Lahaj perfectly conveyed the naiveté of a very young man who would fall heedlessly in love with a society woman, oblivious of the extent to which she lives off the generosity and sexual needs of wealthy benefactors. His duet with Alleaume towards the end of the opera, when they are trying to delude themselves into re-imagining a happy future...
“Rame Lahaj is a dashing presence as Alfredo – tall, dark, and brooding against Alleaume’s open, sparkling Violetta. He sings with passion and has a warm, rich tenor with a charming smoothness and sense of line. His humiliation of Violetta – where he violently throws playing cards at her collapsed form with savage calculation – was the most believable facet of his Alfredo, and made m...