The first week in the Opera Australia Sydney winter season and we had four people send us reviews of Capriccio (click here for show details and to book tickets or click here for a video overview and preview).
Congratulations go to Thomas Wilson: You have won two tickets to an opera of your choice in 2011!
Remember that for your chance at two 2011 opera tickets, you can email your review to online@opera-australia.org.au, or post it online (a blog or Facebook note) and alert us to it on Facebook or Twitter.
Last week's entries included:
- Our Winner: Thomas Wilson, posting his review as an open post on Facebook
- Stuart Annels, posting on his blog and linking to it on Twitter
- Minnie Biggs, submitting the review via email
- David Woodgate, posting his review as a comment on our Facebook page
Our winning entry (with added photos and links):
Some thoughts on Capriccio
Capriccio wouldn't have immediately leapt out the brochure at me as an opera to see, but I enjoyed last year's production of Rosenkavalier so much, and reports from the general were so positive, that I decided at the last minute to go along to opening night.
Let me say at the outset that, as a relative newcomer to the opera world, I had no real frame of reference to judge this production against. I was familiar with the music from the classic recording with Schwarzkopf as the Countess, conducted by Sawallisch, but hadn't reached the stage of comparing productions on video.
My first impression when the curtain came up, confirmed as the evening progressed, was that the design had a simple elegance which fitted the piece neatly, allowing the opera ample room to unfold without being distracting. The aesthetic at times reminded me of the very impressive production of Partenope earlier in the year, but if anything Strauss' Konversationstück fit even more easily into this setting, with the references to Gluck and contemporaries somehow not jarring at all. Likewise, the direction aided the story of the opera without ever becoming obtrusive, and it was plain that a great deal of attention had been paid to the details. I also appreciated the placement of the division of Strauss's one act - I assume this is customary, but it was effective.
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| Andrew Brunsdon as the composer Flamand with Cheryl Barker as the Countess Madeleine |
The star of the evening was undoubtedly Cheryl Barker, but given the nature of the piece, that was probably a foregone conclusion. In such a static, and musically "chatty", opera as Capriccio, the ability of the performers to keep an audience engaged is definitely put to the test, and Barker did not disappoint. She was always engaged, and seemed to find great nuance in the character, painting a sympathetic portrait of a woman forced to make a difficult choice. Strauss's music did not allow her much scope for displaying her vocal abilities, but in the final scene she more than rose to the challenge, with ample reserves of gorgeous tone which carried easily over the orchestral climaxes. She was equally able to produce floating pianissimi, and one glorious decrescendo in particular reminded me of her capabilities in more lyrical writing for the voice.
In the role of the composer Flamand, Andrew Brunsdon's light, elegant tenor suited the character well. He only very occasionally sounded slightly strained at climax points, and gave a convincing portrayal of Flamand as a somewhat shy man who nonetheless held a deep conviction in the power of his art.
As the Countess's other suitor, the poet Olivier, Michael Lewis's performance was impressively forthright and contrasted strongly with Flamand. He sang with powerful, forward tone, not as sweet as Brundson, but at times even more engaging. His performance also provided an effective contrast between the characters, with Olivier seeming rather more sure of himself. Overall the two suitors were powerfully contrasted both vocally and dramatically.
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| Cheryl Barker as the Countess Madeleine with her brother the Count, played by Christopher Tonkin |
Christopher Tonkin, whom I'd not heard before, was another impressive performer. His Count was reasonably reserved, but he hammed it up to great effect in his recital of the sonnet, doubtless striking a chord with everyone who's sat through the impassioned performance of someone who really, really believes that they can act. His bright, clear singing of the role was stylish but not particularly remarkable - I look forward to hearing him in a role which gives him somewhat more scope vocally.
Tania Ferris as the actress Clairon was a similarly effective performer. Her character was shallow at times, but clearly intended to be so, and she contributed elegantly to the ensembles. Also deliberately shallow were Nicole Car and John Longmuir as the Italian singers. Having only heard Car at Opera in the Domain, I was interested to hear her properly in an unamplified setting. Initial impressions were confirmed, as both she and Longmuir coped well with the (rather severe) technical demands of their parts. Car also gulped down the onstage sherry very comically. There was more than a hint of the famous Callas-Baum rivalry of the 1950 Mexico tour (heightened by the fact that Car's costume matched fairly closely the outfit worn by Callas for one of her interviews with Lord Harewood - I assume this was not deliberate).
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| The chorus of servants |
The ensemble of servants blended well and provided an interesting counterpart to the main characters - and I couldn't help thinking of the next layer of "servants", the backstage crew whose work so often goes unacknowledged at the opera. Richard Anderson as the major-domo was unobtrusive as befits his character, and Graeme Macfarlane's short appearance as the prompter was carried off to good comic effect. He also remained amusingly in character for curtain calls. Also worthy of commendation were the dancers, Aude Florentin and Adrian van Winkelhof, who successfully pulled off that most difficult of arts, performing like a bad performer while still maintaining control.
The orchestra coped well with the difficulties of Strauss's writing, although as always the difficult acoustic of the Opera Theatre (with that awful pit) did them no favours. Nicholas Braithwaite conducted well, and seemed to warm to the piece as the evening wore on, drawing a rich, well-balanced sound from the orchestra in the final scene despite the limitations of the venue.
Overall, this production of Capriccio was all that could be asked for. While I am not sure if I would return to see Capriccio a second time, I am glad to have seen it once. I don't understand very well those who left partway through (and there were a few, including the couple to my right - either they knew something I didn't about how this opera should be staged, or they hadn't thought to find out about the opera they were going to see before hand). A pity, really, as the final scene was, to me, at least, the most compelling. Capriccio is by no means the first opera that I would recommend to first-time opera goers, but it has a lot to offer to those more familiar with the art. It makes substantial demands on its audience, but is infintitely rewarding if one is prepared to devote the attention it deserves.
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| Conal Coad as the director La Roche |
Post-script: I have just realised that I neglected to comment on Conal Coad's excellent La Roche. His was an equally impressive performance, suitably bombastic at times and only being drowned by the orchestra in his line when he complains about being dr...owned by the orchestra - an effect which could have been played up more than it was. Overall his performance provided a perfect comic foil to the more weighty questions concerning the other characters, without becoming vacuous. His performance was outstanding at fitted perfectly into the fabric of the opera.
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