State Opera of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 23 May 2015
Are you a virgin? An opera virgin that is. If so, then the State Opera of SA’s production of Mozart’s ever-popular Don Giovanni is precisely the musical saddle you should mount to satisfy your curiosity! It is sassy, sexy, passionate and disturbingly provocative. It is high art, but it is totally accessible. Most importantly, it is thoroughly enjoyable.
Don Giovanni, the eponymous character of the opera, is a hedonistic sex addict who simply cannot get enough. For the Don it is as much about the chase as it is about the conquest. Age, race, creed – none of it matters to him. If it’s in a skirt, he’s ready to saddle up, and if her husband or father is nearby, that just firms up the Don’s resolve! Inevitably, the odds shorten and Don Giovanni meets a fiery end in the smoky pits of Hell!
Carl Friedrich Oberles’s granite-grey monolithic single set, beautifully lit by Nigel Levings, serves as a multitude of locales – from laneway to villa courtyard, from town-square to graveyard. It works a treat and one is never in doubt where one is. The final scene, when it all comes crashing down – literally – is especially dramatic.
The principals are almost all Australian artists with strong connections to Adelaide, and they form a very strong ensemble. Grant Doyle reveled in the role of Don Giovanni. His rich baritone voice was uniformly strong across the register, and he cut a very swashbuckling and rakish figure. He was animated in the extreme, and convincingly portrayed Don Giovanni’s final slide into depravity.
Teresa La Rocca imbued the role of Donna Elvira with just the right ambivalence of coquettishness and prudishness. Her aria Ah! chi mi dice mai, clearly showed her vocal talents. Gisele Blanchard was innocence personified as Zerlina, and Jeremy Tatchell was suitably bruised as Masetto, her cuckolded soon-to-be-husband. Stephen Gallop was statuesque as the ghostly Commendatore and his rich bass voice made an easy meal of Don Giovanni! A cenar teco m'invitasti.
Douglas McNicol, an Adelaide audience favourite, had great fun with the role of Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant. Leporello can almost steal the show, but McNicol’s ample experience allowed him to take the role to the brink without falling over – he perfectly complemented Doyle.
Virgilio Marion played Don Ottavio, the only tenor role. His vibrato was tight throughout Act 1, but more relaxed after the interval when he gave his best performance.
The star performance for the evening was given by Sharon Prero in the role of Donna Anna. Her honed acting skills were only eclipsed by her fine soprano voice that combined to give a special edge to Don Ottavio...Or sai chi l'onore.
Conductor Graham Abbott also conducted Don Giovanni for SASO when it was last performed in 2002, and he clearly knows and understands the work. He is especially busy during the current production as he also plays and conducts occasionally from the fortepiano.
This was a pleasing production, and the large opening night audience left well satisfied.
Kym Clayton
When: 23 to 30 May
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
