OPERA
Against the grai
JOHN HIGGINS
It is not easy to fashion a dull and leade footed thing from the overture to 11 barbie di Siviglia, but this is what happened on t first night of the current Covent Gard revival. It began introspectively, eve gloomily, as though some sombre truth were about to be revealed on the nature 0 life and love in old Seville—that such tru would have been equally applicable Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra and one two oaref people and places was beside point. Rossini's carousel of a piece wh apart from that characteristic pause breath halfway through, should ga momentum as it goes, was given the sin pace of a sedate old man determined to reach his destination. As it continued on its way there was time to brood, particularly on whether the conductor of the evening, David Atherton, was being given the right repertory at the Royal Opera House.
He has won much acclaim for his inter- pretation of contemporary scores, notably those of Birtwistle, Crosse and Bedford. So what evil fairy decreed that the four operas Mr Atherton has handled to date at Covent Garden should be II trovatore, Carmen, Don Giovanni and now Il barbiere? In each of these revivals international guest artists have been mixed with company singers anxious to make their mark—not the easiest of combinations for a young conductor— and in each case distinguished interpreta- tions, from Solti, Giulini and Mackerras among others, have been fairly fresh in the audience's ears. In these circumstances no one should be hugely surprised that Mr Atherton has been unimpressive at the Opera House so far.
Even so, 11 barbiere seems a particularly odd example of casting right against type. It didn't appear to be Atherton's sort of opera during the overture and the rest of the evening simply confirmed early impres- sions. Wit, glitter, pace—all those familiar Rossinian nouns were missing and for much of the time it sounded as though the orchestra, which had been in tiptop form under Solti in Die Frau ohne Schatten the week before, were attending Figaro's wake.
Inevitably the mood spread from pit to stage. Would, for instance, Anne Howells's first Rosina have sounded different under a Varviso or an Abbado? Surely, yes. There was enough good singing, notably in the dark beauty given to 'Contra un cor' and the jollity of 'Dunque io son', to suggest that Miss Howells is going to be very good in due course. There is everything going for her, as was evident from those first notes when she sang Flora in Traviata of two years back ; and the Glyndebourne Dorabella this summer, brought out a natural wit and poise on stage. But so far her Rosina has no particular character. There's a lack of bite and extroversion. `Saro una vipera', the warning in 'Una voce' is a fair one, but at the moment Miss Howells would make all too comfy a snake to clasp to the bosom. The interpretation needs more thought— and more relaxation.
The best possible demonstration of relaxation comes from Luigi Alva and Fernando Corena. They were the original Almaviva and Bartolo of this production nine years ago and since then they have been singing together in Europe and elsewhere, with especial success in Ponnelle's Salzburg Barber. Alva vocalises with ease, allowing his roulades to hang in the air like half a dozen oranges circling from the hands of an expert juggler. He also happens to be one of the nimblest tenors in the business and first rate material for any producer with ideas. Corena's Bartolo, a genial, apple- cheeked figure which has always suggested Margaret Rutherford in drag, does not change a great deal, but beneath the bum- bling exterior there is still a fine voice—'A un donor does not come sung much bitter than this.
The rest of the cast, though not up to the Corena-Alva level, were acceptable. Robert Kerns' Figaro is nippy and spirited, need- ing a little more vocal weight to lift it up a class. Michael Langdon, with a thinning hay- stack of hair fanning out beneath his shovel hat, turns Basilio into a plump and elderly
dropout. Elizabeth Bainbridge made her mark in Berta's little aria. Some more drive and control in the pit and all would have been better still.
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