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| Images: Richard Lakos |
Rosina – Katie Slater
Count Almaviva – Ciarán O’Leary,
Joseph DoodyFigaro – Leif Jone Ølberg
Bartolo – James Schouten
Basilio, Fiorello – Tom Asher
Berta – Emily Blanch
James Hurley (director)
Fiona Johnston, Kate McStraw,
Clementine Lovell (producers)
Having been ground down almost
beyond endurance by the referendum ‘debate’, I was surprised and delighted to
be picked up so splendidly by Pop-Up Opera’s Barber of Seville. The Thames Tunnel Shaft might not, on the face
of it, have seemed an obvious venue for Rossini, but neither I, nor, I suspect,
anyone else had any doubts, let alone complaints, once down the steps. The
intimacy of the occasion more than compensated for any acoustical issues; my
ears soon adjusted, and all that remained was to sit back and enjoy.
The performance was sung in
Italian, with silent film-style titles projected on the wall (sometimes text
and translation, sometimes translation, sometimes commentary, sometimes wittily
and only vaguely ‘after’ the original). Soloists and piano (with a mercifully
brief outing for deliberately-inappropriate synthesiser as Figaro’s guitar)
well-nigh perfectly captured the often elusive essence of Rossini’s opera. In
all but the best performances, it can readily seem over-extended, even tedious,
the composer’s clever formulae all too quickly losing their sparkle. Not here;
indeed, I am not sure I have witnessed a more committed performance. Berrak
Dyer’s sterling work on the piano was such that I never missed the orchestra;
indeed, in conjunction with those titles, the sound of the piano seemed
especially apt. James Hurley’s stage direction and the work of a fine team of
producers (see above) left nothing to be desired. Disguises were donned, simple
props telling employed, but above all, it was the characters who came so vividly
to life – both as opera buffa types,
which is surely crucial here, but also with a degree of humanity that yet did
not sentimentalise.
For that,
of course, we have primarily to thank a highly talented cast of young sisters,
all of whom I should more than happily see and hear again. Rossini’s technical
demands held no fears for any of them, nor did the quicksilver stage action
that must accompany, indeed incite, it. Katie Slater’s coloratura impressed
greatly as Rosina; so did her knowing glances. Ciarán O’Leary, suffering from
an allergy, nevertheless made the most of the first act as Almaviva, revealing
a lovely tenor voice, and technique to match; having had to withdraw, he was
ably succeeded by the similarly accomplished, eminently likeable Joseph Doody.
James Schouten’s handsome baritone proved another joy to hear as Bartolo. Tom
Asher – who, I have just noticed from the programme, hails from my home town of
Rotherham, and is therefore necessarily a good thing – revealed excellent comic
and musical talent as Basilio and Fiorello. Emily Blanch, long relegated to the
sidelines in her role as Berta, nevertheless made the most of her aria, warmly
received.
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| Figaro (Leif Jone Ølberg) |
If I had to
choose, though, my first prize would go to the outstanding Leif Jone Ølberg as
Figaro. Ølberg inhabited the role at least as completely as any artist I have
seen. His baritone voice is darkly attractive, seemingly effortlessly agile,
capable of all manner of subtlety – and he can act. Such an energising presence
would have melted even the sternest of hearts. If he were first among equals,
though, that achievement would never have registered without so fine a sense of
company from all concerned: on and off stage. The most heartening opera
performances often to be found where you least expect them, even at the foot of
a tunnel shaft.
For details
of Pop-Up Opera’s nationwide tour, please visit their website here.
