Sparkling Rossini bubbles over with flair and frolics
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday February 7, 2011
THE BARBER OF SEVILLEOpera Australia, Sydney Opera House, February 4A DEFT touch is required for The Barber of Seville: any weakness in casting or staging can quickly undermine the brilliance with which Gioachino Rossini's music draws character and develops plot.Fortunately Elijah Moshinsky's sparkling 1995 production of this comic masterpiece retains its effervescence in Cathy Dadd's revival for Opera Australia. This edition is fortunate to have a cast who not only sing well - very well in some instances - but who can sustain the abundant comic business that invests every nook and cranny of Michael Yeargan's witty sets with constantly amusing action.In the title role, Giorgio Caoduro as Figaro established himself as a suave operator, a dapper factotum whose vocal skills match the enterprise of his character in the ability to adapt to any situation with flexibility and charm. There was a lightness of touch in his singing, yet his tonal range revealed adequate reserves to endorse his supremacy as the ultimate Mr Fixit.In this he was nicely balanced by the pertness of Dominica Matthew's Rosina, deliciously viperish when necessary but never stridently so. She warmed vocally to the role. If the opening showpiece Una voce poco fa occasionally felt a tad labour-intensive in runs that did not quite cascade as blithely as they might, her later singing relaxed, blossoming to reveal a generously toned and expressive instrument, perfectly in tune with her vibrant character.The tenor Henry Choo provided a beguiling Lindoro, never straining in pursuit of amorous desire but rather offering a clear, precisely-pitched lyrical sound to woo, if not subdue, the wilful exuberance of Rosina's vocal energies. Perhaps not as machismo a hero as some, this Lindoro provided an excellent foil for a heroine as equally quick-witted as Figaro. As Don Alonso, Choo invested the often hysterically funny singing lesson with wicked parody.In this he was abetted by Warwick Fyfe who, combining flawless comic timing with a wide range of buffo vocalisations informed by an assured technique, brought the wily yet gullible Dr Bartolo to vivid life. The taxing aria Un dottor della mia sorte was effortless work, performed with surgical precision.Jud Arthur's rich bass lent Don Basilio authority, particularly in the Slander aria which unites him in calumny with Dr Bartolo, while Teresa La Rocca's gin-soaked Berta expressed her frustrations with penetrating intensity.David Parkin's resonant bass enabled him solid command of his Keystone Kops while Christopher Hillier's pleasing Fiorello and his ever-funny appearances as the apparently lobotomised Ambrogio, completed a fine comic cast. Except for momentary passages of wayward ensemble, and these were swiftly repaired, they were held together by the verve of Antony Walker's spirited conducting which admirably recognised the comic possibilities of Rossini's delectable scoring and his musical understanding of human foible.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald
