Coliseum
(sung in English) |
| Tosca (Keri Alkema), Spoletta (Scott Davies), and Scarpia (Craig Colclough) Images: Richard Hubert Smith |
Floria Tosca – Keri Alkerna
Mario Cavaradossi – Gwyn Hughes
JonesBaron Scarpia – Craig Colclough
Cesare Angelotti – Andri Björn Róbertsson
Sacristan – Adrian Powter
Spoletta – Scott Davies
Sciarrone – Graeme Danby
Gaoler – Robert Winslade Anderson
Shepherd Boy – Alessandro MacKinnon
Catherine Malfitano (director)
Donna Stirrup (revival
director)Frank Peter Schlössman (set designs)
Gideon Davey (costumes)
David Martin Jacques, Kevin Sleep (lighting)
Chorus of the English National
Opera (chorus master: James Henshaw)
Orchestra of the English
National Opera Oleg Caetani (conductor)
Poor Puccini. He is far too
often treated as a ‘box-office hit’ by our ‘major’ opera houses, at least in
Anglophone countries. For so consummate a musical dramatist, that is something
beyond a pity. Here in London, one is far better advised to go to Holland Park
for interesting, intelligent productions, although ENO’s offerings have often
had something to be said for them. Catherine Malfitano’s production once had a
somewhat literalistic yet straightforward integrity to it; now it seems simply
to flounder. When I saw it previously, in
2011, the Personenregie at least proved
generally accomplished; here it veers (too little rehearsal time for a revival,
perhaps?) between the non-existent and the all-too-local am-dram. The lack of
any discernible concept thus matters far more than previously it did. We simply
have sets and costumes and wandering around. Quite why the Sacristan looks as
though he comes from Shoreditch-cum-Kandahar I have no idea. Nor do I
understand the weirdly inter-galactic backdrop for the third act. The rest –
well, the rest is unobjectionable, yet nothing more.
 |
| Cavaradossi (Gwyn Hughes Jones) and Tosca |
The ENO Orchestra, as usual,
was on excellent form. Oleg Caetani summoned up some luscious sounds,
especially in the third act, although I found the first act a little jocular in
tone. There was, in general, a reasonable sense of line, although Caetani fell
some way short of the more distinguished ‘symphonic’ realisations. (No, it is
not really quite the right word, but we all know what it means in this
context.) Greater variegation would also have been welcome; I never felt
Caetani was engaging with anything other than the score’s (impressive) surface.
Choral singing was also of a high standard; let us never forget the sterling
work the chorus undertakes day in, day out.
It was not, however, a vintage
night for solo singing. Keri Alkerna offered an alert performance in the title
role, but it rarely caught fire until the second act, and only intermittently
then. Gwyn Hughes Jones clearly has quite a following at the Coliseum. Although
he certainly has vocal heft, I was unable to discern much beyond that in his
Cavaradossi: his singing was generalised – far too often a problem in this role,
I have found – and his acting at best rudimentary. Craig Colclough’s
underpowered Scarpia came across in strangely camp fashion, at least on those
occasions when his voice rose above the orchestra and/or chorus. I am all for
revisionist readings, but pantomime villain faces are not a satisfactory
substitute for true malevolence. The smaller roles, however, tended to impress,
Andri Björn Róbertsson’s Angelotti, Scott Davies's Spoletta, and young Alessandro
MacKinnon’s Shepherd Boy were all especially well presented.
There was nothing bad here,
then, but nor was there much over which to rejoice. Next time, might we have
something that engages with the dramatic possibilities of the work, rather than
pandering to the reactionary ‘taste’ of an imaginary ‘general’ audience? The
Arts Council has behaved disgracefully towards ENO, but timidity never helped
anyone, and it certainly does not help Puccini.