Clemenza di Tito & Don Pasquale/ Glyndebourne Festival
The Glyndebourne Festival ends this Sunday. I have seen four productions but the two I have not reviewed which I saw this week were Clemenza di Tito and Don Pasquale.
Clemenza di Tito is the last opera Mozart wrote on the occasion of the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor. It’s not one of his most popular, and rightly so, as it’s more political than the delightful, melodic collaborations with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte which fill opera houses all over the world. The story is of the kindness of the Roman Emperor Tito in pardoning his close buddy Sesto involved in a plot to assassinate him. Glyndebourne has a well deserved reputation for its sets, once David Hockney designed them.
This opera is made by the exciting visuality of the sets. It begins with a film of Tito and Sesto as little children playing together in a field. Sesto kills a bird with a catapult. The set is divided into two, the upper half being in Rome at the seat of government and below a field. The key for the assassination is the fire which the lighting department effects with great colour. I was irritated that Sesto was played by a female who looked like some trannie from the more salubrious parts of Brighton but did sing well. Also the costumes were modern dress as were the furnishings.
Donizetti’s Don Pasquale was am more traditional production in terms of dress and period furniture.
The set was on a circular rotating base which was used cleverly.
It began in the house of Don Pasquale with everyone asleep and Dr Malestesta prowling around. The story is of an old unmarried man tricked by his his friend Maletest, his nephew Ernesto whom he intends to disinherit and his girlfriend Norina (Lisette Oropesa). It’s Opera Buffa (comic opera) at its best, a frothy piece with enticing melodies.
Lisette Oropesa an American baritone born of Cuban parents made her Glyndebourne debut and here is a name of whom you will be hearing more. She has the crackle of sex appeal of a Carmen Miranda, a clear, mellifluous voice and no mean acting ability. Renata Girolami played Don Pasquale and sang with impressive verve.
The production also was eased along its way with brio by conductor Giacomo Sagrapanti. All in all an excellent production. Bob Tickler in the party copped some flak at the line “Marriage is silly for an old man/ It only brings toil and trouble”: Daffers was not too enthused by the catered picnic, pronouncing the portions too small and objecting to eating from plastic receptacles in which they were kept, but we all enjoyed being in the grounds by the sheep on the hills and the lake and gardens on a warmish late summer ‘s evening.
