The Marriage of Figaro
Welsh National Opera’s three-part Figaro Forever season features Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and the world premiere of Elena Langer’s Figaro Gets a Divorce, but the cornerstone of this trilogy is surely Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. First performed two hundred and thirty years ago, it is in many people’s eyes the most perfect of all comic operas, and there are undoubtedly dangers inherent in meddling with such perfection. At the very beginning of this production I became worried that director Tobias Richter might have fallen prey to the temptation to make this masterpiece of 18th century social satire somehow ‘contemporary’. Before we hear any music we see some of the cast on stage in modern dress, appearing to read the score and practising their roles. It seems we are about to see a play within a play. I am not sure that this is a particularly purposeful idea – it all seems rather incidental and unnecessary. However, after this false start there are no more unwanted distractions and the opera proper sets off at a cracking pace well suited to the hurly-burly of this ‘day of madness’.
David Stout’s Figaro is a robust rogue full of generous, good-humour, and his delivery of the famous Non più andrai aria is splendidly characterful. Actually, it is not Non più andrai that we hear but ‘Here’s an end to the life of a rover’, for this production features an ingenious and often rather racy translation by Jeremy Sams. I generally am no fan of opera in translation, and there were times when I missed the musicality of the original Italian, but I cannot deny that Sams’ version is often very funny. Figaro’s would-be nemesis is the bad-tempered and jealous Count Almaviva, played with relish by Mark Stone. Almaviva is bored with his marriage to his faithful, long-suffering wife the Countess, and his attentions have turned to Susanna, the chambermaid betrothed to Figaro. Having at one time been the WNO’s Susanna, Elizabeth Watts now gives us a Countess with real depth and complexity. Unlike her philandering husband, the Countess is an aristocrat with real class; she has great personal dignity, and she has been deeply hurt.
Act Three begins with her great aria Dove sono in which she berates Almaviva for forcing her to conspire against him, and Watts’ profoundly moving performance, full of anguished determination, reminds us that this is a comic opera that does not shy away from serious themes. However, what I shall remember most about this production is its great charm. We find it embodied in Anna Devlin’s portrayal of quick-witted chambermaid Susanna; mercurial, resourceful and with a boundless sense of fun. Equally captivating is Naomi O’Connell in the trouser role of Cherubino, the youth whose romantic yearnings are a ‘torment tinged with delight’. The scene where Susanna and the Countess attempt to disguise him in Susanna’s clothes is a beautifully choreographed comic highlight, with Cherubino discovering that he rather enjoys an excuse to explore his feminine side. I also thoroughly enjoyed Susan Bickley as Marcellina, the old dragon with designs on Figaro who is transformed into a tender-hearted mother when she discovers that he is her son.
This production is blessed with excellent singing and acting in all the major roles. The ensemble sequences are as impressive as the arias. At the end of Act Two, when Figaro and Susanna find themselves beset with threats from all sides, each and every vocal line rings out with thrilling clarity. Sue Blane’s costume designs are in period, and particularly gorgeous for the Countess. In contrast, Ralph Koltai’s simple sets are spacious and spare, becoming virtually abstract in the final act. Generally they are highly effective, though there is one scene change that is rather a long-winded affair. Conducted by Timothy Burke the WNO orchestra is on top form and thoroughly deserved the rousing cheer they received at last night’s performance. This is a magnificent, joyous Marriage of Figaro. There’s just one more performance next Saturday, March 19th. Catch it if you can. ★★★★★ Mike Whitton 17th March 2016
The Barber of Seville
The character of Figaro sits centre stage in all three operas staged by the WNO’s current spring series Figaro Forever.
In this the first of the trilogy, as well as being the barber, Figaro is the fixer of romantic assignations between Count Almaviva and the beautiful Rosina, about which all else spins. This is comic opera in which flawed very human humans parade their frustrations and desires, flaunting whatever power and influence they can bring to bear. Love and money are the big drivers here.
Figaro the barber is an opportunist with a sense of fun, and not averse to making a few bob on the side. “Enjoy life, that’s my motto!” The very tall and imposing figure of Nicholas Lester was more than a match for the role, his voice commanding the stage throughout this rollicking celebration of Rossini’s masterpiece.
With Sam Brown’s direction and the designs of Ralph Koltai we were treated to WNO’s perennially creative and innovative approach to stage presentation and design, while conductor James Southall conjured a bright and energetic performance from the WNO orchestra.
In an almost surreal passage during the overture rows of large silver scissors were held aloft into narrowly focused spotlights, clicking open and shut in syncopation with the music and moving about like mechanised dancers. Later, against two revolving high translucent walls that showed the inside and outside of Dr Bartolo’s house, the action was played out not unlike a farce or panto, with all the main roles amplified with bright and occasionally eccentric costumes designed by Sue Blane.
There was a growing sense of the absurd through this performance culminating in a wonderfully choreographed second act, in which comic devices such as blind music teacher Basilio’s dog and Figaro’s antics inside a piano ramped up the audience’s enjoyment.
I particularly liked Claire Booth’s vampish Rosina. Arguably the star of the show, her clear diction and controlled coloratura lit up the auditorium, and her sultry behaviour proved a foil for what otherwise could have been a clichéd submissive role, such as to the disguised Almaviva –“You’re my only hope of freedom’. Yes, these old operas can be mighty sexist!
Andrew Shore sang an outstanding bass as the out-witted Dr Bartolo. He proved quite able to walk just the right side of ‘over the top’ throughout the night, especially in the very funny sequence while ‘doctoring’ with Rosina.
Rosie Hay as his housekeeper Berta shone in her aria ‘Where’s the man who fancies me?’, and Richard Wiegold’s delicious rumbling bass was a constant delight, while his looks, in a bright yellow hat, sunglasses with shirt and tie adorned with massive piano keys, and a frisky dog puppet in tow were hilarious.
This Barber… was enormous fun, accompanied sumptuously by an orchestra that was roundly cheered at the end of a three-hour shift. Lighting designer Linus Fellbom’s sign-off wedding photograph moment added one more cherry to this very enjoyable operatic cake. ★★★★☆ Simon Bishop 16th March 2016
The Barber of Seville is on Tuesday 15 & Friday 18 March 7.15pm
The Marriage of Figaro is on Wednesday 16 & Saturday 19 March 7pm
Figaro Gets a Divorce is on Thursday 17 March 7.15pm
