SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Production Picture © The Royal Opera / Richard H Smith

 

This annual end-of-term showcase for the young singers, conductors and directors on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme was its usual jolly affair uniting on stage those at the end of their first year with those about to ‘graduate’. Sadly the clash with Die Meistersinger at the Proms left a lot of empty seats and everyone peforming at The Royal Opera deserved a bigger attendance.

 

This semi-staged performance was given against the backdrop of the bullring set, with its oversized gilded ceiling, from Act II of Covent Garden’s current La traviata. Costumes by José Darío Innella were outwardly perfunctory; hooped skirts - or just the hoops - for the female roles and jeans for the male ones, yet ultimately this proved to be simple and effective. The direction, such as it was, caught the pervading moods of the four Richard Strauss operas in the first half quite well, yet strained too much for comedic effect during the mixed bag of operetta scenes after the interval. What was a significant improvement on recent years however was the presence of the Royal Opera House Orchestra in the pit instead of an ensemble from Opera North or Welsh National Opera. The orchestra at Covent Garden have been on top form recently and their vibrant and richly detailed playing of scores of fairly unfamiliar score was a highlight of this generally enjoyable matinee.

 

Everyone seemed a little self-conscious during the ‘Presentation of the Rose’ from Der Rosenkavalier Act II, Elisabeth Meister’s antics as Mariandel made her the centre of attention when she was on stage – and this was repeated every time she was involved in something. Changhan Lim seems someone who has really benefitted from the opportunities the Jette Parker programme has had to offer and his Faninal had considerable stage presence and was sung with resonant rounded tones. The orchestra conveyed just the right amount of Straussian schmaltz under Steven Moore and as the music unfolded over the other three excerpts it was obvious how the same lush orchestral sonorities and soaring melodies seemed to repeat themselves. Elisabeth Meister was immediately impressive once again; she gave a very moving portrayal of Capriccio’s Countess Madeleine throughout the ensuing duel for her affections by way of the debate about what has supremacy in opera, the words or the music. Olivier the poet, took the former view of course, but Dawid Kimberg was rather one-dimensional in both voice and manner in the role. Flamand, a composer, champions the music but sadly Steven Ebel struggled in his task. In the final duet from Act II of Intermezzo, Eri Nakamura sang with Changhan Lim. Their voices blended well and Nakamura’s vocal radiance shone through so well that it is clear that her potential alone justifies her having been ‘snapped up’ by the Bavarian State Opera. However neither are very charismatic physical actors though their vocal expressivity is not in doubt.

 

The Finale from Act II of Die Schweigsame Frau made me think that a production of the complete opera is well overdue and would be very welcome. It appears to have a deliciously light-hearted plot and score that features a prima donna, Aminta, who, in disguise, ‘marries’ the Baron Ochs-like blusterer and noise-hater Sir Morosus, who disinherits his nephew Henry because has married … Aminta. The plot suggests that Sir Morosus should find a ‘silent woman’ and he does just that but since it is Aminta disguised as ‘Timidia’ chaos naturally ensues. Lukas Jakobski did an excellent job as the retired admiral, and the future looks bright for him because of his height and the rumbling depth of his bass notes, both here employed to great comic effect. Simona Mihai and Robert Anthony Gardiner were well matched as the spirited married couple but Gardiner’s tenor timbre is of the distinctly English kind.

 

These final three Richard Strauss excerpts – as much of the second half – were conducted by the veteran Robin Stapleton. I wondered what use that was to the next generation of conductors watching on, except for the their ability to appreciate the excellent ensemble and unanimity achieved between stage and pit, as well as, an almost perfect balance, so that the singers were not drowned by the orchestra.

 

After the interval things began well enough with a frothy overture, Ein Morgen, Mittag und Abend in Wien, conducted by Dominic Grier, which had just enough fizz and sparkle to overcome any thoughts that it might have been under-rehearsed. Ji-Min Park was a star turn with a rumbustuous full-throated celebration of army life ‘Freunde, das Leben is lebenswert’ from Lehár’s Giuditta. This was followed by some almost interminable nonsense from Victor Herbert’s Naughty Marietta in which Kai Rüütel, Robert Anthony Gardiner and Dawid Kimberg joined in the cloyingly sweet shenanigans with some style. Elisabeth Meister, however, was the only one who seemed really at home in the piece performing Marietta with all the gawky, laddish, enthusiasm of the up-and-coming TV comedienne Miranda Hart.

 

In truth I soon quickly tired of all the operetta on offer in the second half of the programme and I began to wonder who had conceived this selection of repertoire since all the young artists seemed unfamiliar with the idiom. Surely most of the singers have covered important roles during the past season but had not had a chance to perform : so wouldn’t it have been better to give them the opportunity to show what they can really do and not ask them to sing uncomfortably through under-directed Offenbach and Johann Strauss II (La Belle Hélène, Der Zigeunerbaron and Die Fledermaus) which did them no favours.

 

Finally, all the items performed just stopped and started with little time to check the printed synopses or even the casts. Having an announcer set the scene and introduce the singers would have given an even greater sense of occasion to this important annual event.

 

Jim Pritchard