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The Times, 15 November 2004 |
By Hilary Finch |
Puccini: La Rondine, ROH, London November 2004
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ONE swallow might not make a summer, but London's first
cold winds of winter are certainly being warmed by the return of Angela
Gheorghiu as the Rondine she created unforgettably in concert, on disc
and, two years ago, in Nicolas Joel's lavish production of Puccini's
mature and hitherto little-known commedia lirica.
Once again, as the love-bird Magda, Gheorghiu incarnates the strange, sad
music of the sun-seeking swallow - the salon mistress who flies from Paris
to the Riviera to find true love, only to return, another of Puccini's
sacrificial victims. That potent mix of sentimentality and emotional
sadism unique to Puccini is distilled into fable here; and there are times
when a simple student production can reach the mark best of all.
But only a churl could complain when faced with the art nouveau splendour
of Ezio Frigerio's sets, Franca Squarciapino's hedonistically detailed
1920s costumes, and a production which delights in meticulous observation,
from the glint of a golden powder compact, to the fastidious movements of
a porter's white-gloved hands.
The musical detail is pungent, too, with Emmanuel Villaume conducting with
vigour and elan an imaginatively variegated cast. Gheorghiu, in her vocal
prime, remains perfectly cast: the subtle, musky timbre of her voice
inhabits every nuance of longing, fear, self-doubt and ardour. And her
final cry of anguished resignation still reaches the heart, and almost
makes her renunciation credible.
This time, her beloved Ruggero is sung by the German tenor Jonas Kaufmann
- something of a revelation for those who have heard him only in recital
in this country. From his enraptured aria in praise of Paris, to the heady
dance-duet with Magda, and on to his final extended pleas for her to stay,
this is a formidable house and role debut. Kaufmann's is a robust, truly
Italianate tenor, with a stage presence which gives substance to a
weakly-drawn part.
Kurt Streit's narcissistic and chauvinistic Prunier, and Annamaria
del'Oste's firecracker of a Lisette (another house debut) make a winsome
double-act as poet and parlour-maid; and Robert Lloyd as Magda's dark
protector, Ramaldo, is wonderfully and fearfully indestructible.
Plenty of new talent around, too: Vilar Young Artists such as James
Edwards, Jared Holt and Victoria Nava twinkle in the opera's many cameo
roles, and in the stylish set pieces in which the Royal Opera Chorus and a
feisty team of dance-acrobats add to the shameless feel-good factor. |
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