Concerto Cologne at the Barbican

27th June 2006

There is a lot of Mozart about this year, and it’s very nice to hear it, but the Barbican’s Mostly Mozart Festival is not one that has been arranged specifically for Mozart Year. It is on every year. The only difference is that there is nothing from Garsington this year, as they have, for the first time for at least four years, decided not to include a Mozart opera in their season. Der Stein der Weisen is approximately half Mozart, but all the others have been all Mozart. (Although I do think Der Stein der Weisen would have been at least as welcome as any other opera they’ve brought to London.)

Whether Der Stein der Weisen is there or not, Don Giovanni is the odd one out in the Festival because every opera fan is likely to have heard of it. The most devoted fans of Mozart could (probably) be forgiven for not remembering the names of Ascanio in Alba and Zaide if asked to list all the Mozart operas they can think of. Don Giovanni provides opers-goers with something well-loved and familiar, something that is definitely, without a doubt, a good opera. I actually think Ascanio in Alba and Zaide are pretty good too, but most people won’t be sure about that. Of course, they’re not on the same level as Don Giovanni, but that’s my favourite opera, so nothing can be on its level, except a very good production of Le nozze di Figaro.

This cast wasn’t perfect, but the result was extremely interesting – more so than a very good but conventional production. Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, a lovely Leporello, replaced Dietrich Henschel in the title role. Although his voice was not too similar to that of the actual Leporello, Lorenzo Regazzo, d’Arcangelo’s voice was a Leporello-voice. And with that Leporello-voice came Leporello-charm. And somehow, once Don Giovanni is sounding like a sweet Leporello, rather lost and confused, all the terrible things Don Giovanni does don’t seem half so bad. They seem more like an accident. Well, maybe it’s impossible to sneak into Donna Anna’s bedroom by accident, but the death of the Commendatore could easily have happened in clumsy self-defence. It felt rather as though Leporello has died at the end, and it was a shock.

Not that there was anything wrong with Lorenzo Regazzo’s performance – he was actually extremely successful. He was likeable, amusing when he needed to be, and he sang beautifully. He was just unlucky enough to be singing with such an unusual Don Giovanni. Also excellent was Francesco Meli, as Don Ottavio. He sounded like a bit of a nerd in the recitatives and ensembles, but he sang a melting “Dalla sua pace”: it was absolutely beautiful, and really made you think about what the words meant, and why he was singing. “Il mio tesoro” didn’t go to the same emotional depths, but was also lovely.

Donna Anna was another interesting one. Patrizia Ciofi didn’t offer much in the way of character, but, despite a strong and mellifluous tone, gave a very strong impression of fear and vulnerability. Perhaps Anna was too frightened and sad for much of the opera to show her true personality – which is understandable. She was technically brilliant: she didn’t even shriek even a little bit in the usual places.

Alexandrina Pendatchanska’s performance as Donna Elvira has had a very positive response from critics, or so it seems, but, for me, she was the low point of the evening. Although she seemed committed to the drama, and portrayed the mad side of the character with conviction, it was still over-acted, and the vocal line had far too many squeaks and approximate pitches. But perhaps it was just me. Even her short second aria was applauded. Giovan Battista Parodi had the common problem of not being able to make the Commendatore’s notes quite loud enough, but his voice did have a wonderfully spooky edge.

Alessandro Luongo was an unusually adorable Masetto, and Anna Bonitatibus’ Zerlina couldn’t have been better. She was listed as a soprano, but her biography, which mentions the contralto role of Medoro, does suggest that she is a mezzo. However, she had no trouble at all with the top notes, and her voice was light and sweet.

She was the victim of most of conductor Evelino Pido’s tempo surprises, with the already-challenging final section of her first aria taken a lot faster than the rest of it, and faster than I’ve ever heard it. Not that it fazed her in the slightest. However, the only truly effective change came in the argument between Masetto and Zerlina at the beginning of the Finale. The quicker tempo gave them the opportunity to turn the exchange into a blazing row, and this worked wonderfully. The other changes were interesting, and showed Bonitatibus’ brilliance to an even greater extent, but there didn’t seem much dramatic point to them.

However, it still sounded great, and it's always good - and fairly unusual - to hear a performance that really makes you think.

Cunning Little Vixen

primi-divi at hotmail.co.uk