Don Quichotte: Comedy-tragedy mix makes a complex meditation on ageing

National Opera House, Wexford, Until Nov 2

Rich mezzo: Aigul Akhmetshina (arms raised) and chorus in Don Quichotte. Photo by Clive Barda

Katy Hayes

Frenchman Jules Massenet's Spanish inflected opera debuted in 1910. A late work in the composer's career, it is an adaptation of the canonical early 17th-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes; it is infrequently performed. The libretto by Henri Cain, based on a verse play by Jacques Le Lorrain, makes a decent fist of condensing the sprawling narrative of the original into an evening's entertainment.

Dulcinée is a beautiful 20-year-old girl, living amongst a colourful carnival troupe. She has many male admirers who fling themselves at her feet with abandon. Aigul Akhmetshina plays her with a healthy dose of self-regard. Her dance and movement is as charming as her rich mezzo voice.