Wednesday night in Toronto: the Canadian Opera Company performed Gaetano Donizetti's dramatic opera, Roberto Devereux. The central character of the story is Queen Elizabeth I of England. We see her during the overture as a decrepit old woman who has outlived her legend. One of the last things she holds on to is her love for the commander of her army, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. She suspects him of betraying her for another lover. Her jealous suspicion is well founded.
Robert has fallen in love with Sarah, one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting. Beyond the danger of incurring Elizabeth's wrath, Robert has also been accused of treason by Parliament for showing mercy on England's enemies. Robert's only defender is his friend the Duke of Nottingham (and Sarah's recent husband). Elizabeth still hopes that she can command Robert's heart, but nothing will end well for this quartet.
The role of Elizabeth is one of the most vocally unforgiving in the bel canto repertoire. The late Beverly Sills claimed that this role shortened her career by ten years. Fortunately, American-born soprano Sondra Radvanovsky (now a resident of Ontario) showed no signs of vocal distress in this, the seventh and final performance of the run. Her Act Two finale was a clinic in bel canto style: endless breath control, pianissimos floated at will, secure and flexible ornamentation. I was about to add a seemingly limitless upper register, but I wish she had taken her final notes in each act down an octave. She opted for the high notes, but they were a touch shrill and they won't do anything to extend her career.
As Devereux, Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti had a satisfying lyric quality with the right amount of heroic heft. His tone was endearing in soft dynamics but got a bit ragged when pushed above the staff. Still, his aria in the Tower before execution was highly commendable. Canadian mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy was equally satisfying as Sarah, with a resonant chest register, clear diction and dramatic savvy.
Canadian baritone Russell Braun's performance of Nottingham had mixed results. As an actor he drew an effective portrait of the twice-betrayed husband and friend. Vocally, however, his pitch rode sharp most of the evening. Italian conductor Corrado Rovaris led the orchestra well, but some of the vocal ensembles could have been rhythmically tighter.
While not perfect, this was about as fine a performance of Roberto Devereux as you could expect to see these days. The opportunity to see Sondra Radvanovsky at the peak of her career justified the drive from Boston to Toronto.
No comments:
Post a Comment