Reviews

Cav & Pag double bill has much to delight eye and ear

29/08/2011

PUBLICATION: The Dominion Post
REVIEWED BY: John Button
WHERE: St James Theatre, Wellington

For most people, including regular opera fans, the Cav & Pag double bill is more talked about than experienced. Of course, everybody knows snippets from both – the Intermezzo from Cav and Vesti la Giubba (Put on the motley) from Pag, but very few have experienced a top professional production. My only experience was a student production many years ago, so this utterly professional, beautifully sung and staged outing was my first chance to fully experience Mascagni and Leoncavallo’s only successes.

Described as verismo (realistic), each covers love, treachery, revenge in black and white – few subtleties here – in about an hour each, with Leoncavallo’s the most interesting plot. Both are fiery, with straightforward, but rich, orchestral support and very important choruses. So these two short operas are not “pot boilers” put on to make money, but an expensive, intricate, undertaking that must convince a public unfamiliar with the works to come along.

I understand bookings are not great, so I urge any doubters to make the effort for they will be rewarded by two dazzling productions, with no weaknesses and much to delight both the ear and the eye.

Both casts are top notch. The lead sopranos in both are superb; Anna Shafajinskaia in Cav, and Elizabeth Futral in Pag are blessed with fine voices and both can act. The tenors are equally superb – Peter Auty as Turiddu in Cav has a marvelously free voice and Rafael Rojas as Canio/Pagliacci not only has a fine voice as well, but sings up a storm, with an impassioned Vesta la Giubba, supported by a wonderful Tonio in Warwick Fyfe. All the other cast members are exceptionally fine and no praise can be too great for the marvelous chorus work, so crucial to both operas.

Oliver von Dohnanyi delivers a masterstroke. He marshaled both operas with unerring skill and draws wonderfully committed playing from the Wellington Orchestra.

All of this took place on a super clever, moveable set common to both operas, and with the costuming completely apt – marvelously so for the play in Pag – and assisted by discreet but effective lighting, this production presents this deceptive double bill in the best possible light. A must see.

Back to reviews listings

Did you know?

Early opera resembled the atmosphere of a race course - chatting, food, laughter and loud comments were the norm.

During all our opera performances an English translation of the libretto is projected on screens above the stage, so you can easily follow the story.

If you are 25 years old or under you can purchase $25 tickets at the venue box office before any performance.

The world's longest opera is Wagner's The Ring Cycle, lasting over 14 hours plus intervals. That's 18 hours at the theatre.

The world's longest applause lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes as a standing ovation. The opera: Otello starring Placido Domingo.

On average, an opera will last between 2 and 3 hours, with one interval in a two act show, and two in a three act show. Operettas and musicals tend to be shorter.

Previous page
Next page