The singers shine in a real dog’s breakfast
L’Elisir d’Amore (Royal Opera House) Verdict: Close your eyes, focus on the singing
TWO showstoppers brought Tuesday’s performance to a halt: the first was a fire alarm that lasted for half an hour.
More to everyone’s taste was Liparit Avetisyan’s singing of the great aria ‘una furtiva lagrima’.
The Armenian tenor, in only his second Royal Opera role, showed dramatic commitment, a lyric tone of great beauty and a natural comic touch.
Making her house debut as the flighty Adina, South African soprano Pretty Yende was a delightful foil: she acted convincingly and sang with skill.
Two Italians, baritone Paolo Bordogna as the arrogant Sergeant Belcore and bass Alex Esposito as the quack Doctor Dulcamara, brought a welcome taste of the south to their singing, with expert command of their opera buffa patter. Russian soprano Vlada Borovko was a strong Giannetta.
If only one could hear this lovely singing without the irritations of Laurent Pelly’s fidgety production. His insistence on hyperactivity goes against the grain of Donizetti’s bel canto melodies, and his vulgar updating to the Fifties goes against the spirit of this pastoral idyll.
He even manages to torpedo Dulcamara’s most celebrated line — about being known ‘throughout the universe . . . and . . . and . . . other places’ — by having a dog run across the stage just before it. What with climbing ladders and tumbling down haystacks, it is a miracle the cast manage to sing at all.
Well, the audience enjoyed most of it, so who am I to complain? The chorus survive being mishandled and Bertrand de Billy gets alert playing from the orchestra, except for an over-fruity bassoon soloist.
Three cast changes are made from the 13th.