Past Production Reviews
6Richard Jones’ production revived with warmth, elegance and added resonance
Café Momus on Christmas Eve is clearly suffering from a waiter shortage; fewer customers too, plus a shrunken crowd milling outside. Otherwise, there are fewer changes than you might expect in Dan Dooner’s Covid-conscious, socially distanced edition of Richard Jones’s 2017 production of Puccini’s masterpiece. The snow continues to drift from the heavens, and the bohemians’ Paris garret hasn’t got any warmer. More to the point for this story of sudden love, poverty and cruel death, the characters still intermingle, embrace, and, in the case of Musetta, bite. Meanwhile, down in the pit, an orchestra of 74 has been stripped down to 47, armed with Mario Parenti’s reduced orchestration. Yet despite much lighter forces, Puccini remains Puccini.
If it's not broke, don't fix it!" Most clichés gain their status through being true, but that one is honoured in the breach as often as in its application, the desire to sell something new (even if it isn't really) as addictive to the vendor as it is to the buyer. Not always though. "25 years of Richard Eyre's La Traviata" is emblazoned (in gold, no less) on the cast list and the programme compiles a Who's Who of opera stars who have sung the roles in that quarter century - it was staged here as recently as January after all! So you've every right to expect something good, something slick, something that can fill hundreds of seats on wet Tuesday night a week before Christmas. And that's what you get.
Apart from Oropesa’s Violetta, the superb tenor Liparit Avetisyan gives a convincing performance as the passionate Alfredo, a role that is rarely achieved in operatic productions. The German baritone Christian Gerhaher in the role of Giorgio Germont, the man responsible for the break-up, also offers an impressive performance. The entire leading cast as well as the rest of the cast secured the narrative’s realism that is so brilliantly embedded in its musical fabric, which translates on stage in a manner that even those not musically trained, gain a satisfying musical and dramatic experience. The stamp of the director of this revival, Pedro Ruibeiro, is much in evidence. The dramatic performance, highlighting the conflict between father-son, the shift in Germont’s attitude towards Violetta, the ‘saintly courtesan’, is made clear in their first encounter in Act II. His hard tone and demeanour towards this fallen reveal early signs of softening and gestures of respect. The social norms layered with hypocrisy are superbly probed musically and dramatically in that first encounter between the two. The dramatic tension is given momentary relief by the colourful and beautifully performed gypsy’s singing dancing and the matadors. They lighten up the atmosphere before the mood darkens.The evening, in its entirety, can be summed up as memorable
Uzbekistani tenor Mavlyanov made his Royal Opera debut tonight as Cavaradossi with no obvious show of nerves: his first aria Recondita Armonia was cool and composed, and his E lucevan le stelle in the final chapter displayed an impressive balance of tender warmth and burning passion. However, Frontali’s interpretation of the menacing Scarpia fell flat as the choral and orchestral forces were asked to save the grandeur of the Act 1 Finale, but his villainous affair with Tosca did revive his performance later on. A character of many faces, experienced soprano Echalaz embraced the melodramatic personality of Tosca in sublime fashion: from the opening jealousy-induced comedy and flirtatious dialogue with Cavaradossi to the breathtakingly poignant aria Vissi d’arte and graceful second act duets. Echalaz’s acting was as compelling as her voice, as she sealed Tosca’s tragic fate with a dignified leap from the walls of the Castel Sant’Angelo. Credit should also be given to the ROH Orchestra. Under the baton of Villaume, the orchestra provided a sensitive and equally passionate musical backdrop, from the blazing opening chords, the thunderous string unison force that marked the death of Scarpia, the graceful woodwind colours, the notable clarinet melody heartening Cavaradossi’s final act romanza and the strident forte brass in the catastrophic conclusion. The mix of rousing drama, inevitable tragedy and an opulent musical orchestration full of exquisite melodies, rich harmonies and textures left the capacity audience moved by Puccini’s operatic achievement.
