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Corunna Mozart Festival 2009 - Mozart,Mitridate, Re di Ponto:  Soloists, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.Conductor: Gabriele Ferro. Palacio de Ópera de La Coruña. 21.5.2009. (JMI)

Production from London Royal Opera Covent Garden.
Direction: Graham Vick.
Sets and Costumes: Paul Brown.
Lighting: Nick Chelton.
Choreography: Ron Howell.

Cast:
Mitridate: Bruce Ford (Recitatives and actor); Gregory Kunde (Arias)
Aspasia: Aleksandra Kurzak.
Farnace: Elena Belfiore.
Sifare: María José Siri.
Ismene: Gemma Bertagnolli.
Marzio: Ricardo Mirabelli.
Arbate: Yolanda Montoussé.

Bruce Ford (Mitridate) and Gemma Bertagnolli (Ismene)
 

This year Corunna’s Mozart Festival is very much a tribute to Graham Vick. He will stage all the three of the Festival’s operas. On top of this he is the subject of a round table symposium in his presence. A book about him and his work has also been published. All of this is very fitting given what Graham Vick has meant and still means in the world of opera. The tribute is refreshing in a world where so much unjustified prominence has been accorded to some stage directors, who, far from being in the service of music, do not understand or care about it. In this sense, it is good to honour Graham Vick. He combines respect for music and text with big doses of modernism, without ever tipping over into the merely provocative.

The Mozart Festival opens this year with one of the first operas by the genius from Salzburg, Mitridate, Re di Ponto. It was composed by little more than a child. He was 14 years of age - absolutely miraculous if it were not the truth.

The production comes from Covent Garden, where it was premiered in 1991 and revived for the last time in July 2005. It carries all the usual Graham Vick hallamrks. Probably, Mitridate is one the most difficult operas to stage, since the dramatic action leaves much to be desired. It is full of recitatives and arias. Vick’s production a model of good work, accomplishing the difficult task of making its three hours of music fly by. Sets are very simple, consisting of mobile panels, very well handled. Costumes are really spectacular: a true feast of colours and originality. A mixture of Kabuki and Indian with a touch of Meninas, left me breathless with their beauty and colour. Excellent lighting crowns the show. The stage direction is spectacular, based the beautiful movement of extras, who give much life to the action, helped by simple and apt choreography. A beautiful production, without a doubt it was the biggest triumph of the evening. This British director is still at the top of his art.

The musical direction was in the hands of veteran Gabriele Ferro who for me rarely raises great expectations. On this occasion his reading was much better than expected. Mitridate is not an easy assignment for any conductor. In fact Ferro brought it off to a big extent holding audience attention although the role played by the production is huge in this respect. His reading does however fall far below the miraculous performance offered a few years ago by Marc Minkowski. It was however apt and sometimes even bright. He was very much helped by the excellent Orquesta de Galicia, one the very best in Spain.

The vocal distribution offered something that is becoming more and more commn: the presence of two singers in the same role. When a theatre faces the problem of a main singer becoming ill in a very unusual opera, it has to solve the situation in the best possible way. On many occaisosn this involves having the sick one on stage and the substitute singing from the score. When the theatre is confronted by the announced singer not being able to cope with the tessitura, they have to do exactly the same. In Corunna we were advised that Bruce Ford was feeling unwell and that he would sing the recitatives and otherwise would mime on stage, while the arias would be sung by Gregory Kunde. Was Mr. Ford sick? I did not notice, but who cares, the end-result justified the means.

So we ended up with two Mitridates. Bruce Ford was quite good at recitatives and he is very familiar with the production, having been Mitridate in the last revival at Covent Garden. Gregory Kunde was excellent in the four most difficult arias that the Harry Potter of music offers to this king. Kunde is today one of the very few tenors able to cope with this kind of tessitura and it is always a pleasure to see him on stage or near it.

Polish soprano Alexandra Kurzak was Aspasia. A young and beautiful soprano who is an accomplished singer with a bright career ahead. Her performance was very good, although I think that Aspasia needs a little more vocal weight. The tessitura only presents some slight problems to her in the top notes. These are not solved by the shining tone of the rest of the register. She sang with good taste and was at her best in the poison scene.

Farnace was the Italian mezzo Elena Belfiore. She offered a small voice, and very little weight at the bottom of the range. She is a good singer, but you need a different voice to shine in Farnace. I prefer by far a good counter-tenor.

Sifare was Maria José Siri, who substituted the announced Laura Aikin. This singer from Uruguay is a full lyric soprano, with an interesting voice. She sings with some expressiveness, although Mozart is not her alma mater. Her coloratura is more than problematic. In different repertoire she can triumph, but not in Mozart. Gemma Bertagnolli was a very good Ismene, singing her arias in a most beautiful way. Her voice is rather small, but very pleasant. She knows how to use it and was worthy of the ovations that followed her arias.

Ricardo Mirabelli, as Marzio, offered a tenorino voice with forced top notes. In the vile character of Arbate, Asturian Yolanda Montoussé gave an accomplished performance both as actress and singer.

The theatre offered quite a few empty seats, with an occupancy of about 70% which must have been down to the fact that for most people Mitridate is an unknown and that the premiere took place on a Thursday. At the final bows there were ovations and cheers for Aleksandra Kurzak, Gregory Kunde and, last but not least, for Graham Vick.

A very interesting beginning for the Mozart Festival, that will be remembered for its tribute to an honest man and a great artist, Graham Vick.

José M  Irurzun

Picture courtesy of  Palacio de Ópera de La Coruña

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