Opera
Don Giovanni
Perth Concert Hall
Keith Bruce
three stars
IF English Touring Opera’s contribution to this year’s Perth Festival of the Arts is not as impressive as some of the productions of the past, it is only because the company has set the bar very high. As the name perhaps suggests, opportunities to see ETO in Scotland are rare, and this show, while well enough attended, really deserved to be packed out as their single one of the 2016 festival.
Once again, the company demonstrated what a fine opera house Perth’s adaptable hall can be, the rarely used pit pressed into service for the orchestra under Michael Rosewell, and Anna Fleischle’s clever two-tier semi-circular set – beautifully lit by Guy Hoare – sitting very nicely on the Perth stage, without the false proscenium arch.
It was a real asset in a version of Mozart and Da Ponte’s Don Juan that was narratively sure-footed, but sometimes uncertain of tone. Nicholas Lester’s arrogant libertine was a little wooden at times, and Matthew Stiff’s grumpy Leporello took a while to communicate. The Edwardian costuming is sometimes distractingly garish (particularly the frock worn by Ania Jeruc’s Donna Elvira), and Jeremy Sams’s English translation of the libretto has its clunky moments as well as those that display his familiar wit. He plays fast and loose with Leporello’s “list” aria of Giovanni’s conquest, but to distinctive effect: “It’s all recorded/However sordid.”
While played as a period piece, there were some very modern touches in the sexual references – there is a clear S&M enthusiasm in the relationship of Zerlina (Lucy Hall) and Masetto (Bradley Travis) for example – and that playfulness sat oddly with the more reprehensible predatory and abusive Don. Most damagingly there was a lack of drama in his defiance at the denouement with the resurrected Commendatore (Timothy Dawkins).
The ensemble singing, however, was of a very high standard throughout. And I was not alone in particularly appreciating the tenor voice of Robyn Lyn Evans (as Don Ottavio), if the applause that greeted his Act 2 aria is any guide.
Only the somewhat brash tone of the electronic harpsichord for the continuo (a touring practicality I suspect) marred the instrumental accompaniment, in a show that again proved that the highest production values are achievable on the budget of a touring opera company.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here