It might have been the April spring zephyrs wafting across the Convention Center plaza on a recent Sunday afternoon, or the lingering memory of five and a half hours of Wagner many opera goers endured during the previous day’s broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera.
Or maybe it was just the fact that the season was coming to a close, but something brought out an ultra-enthusiastic audience to Arizona Opera’s season closing production of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” They were ready for a romp, and the company did not disappoint.
Scott Altman, suddenly departed general director, had brought together a veritable spring bouquet of voices for this comedy. Some of the silliness of the Viennese idea of humor in the 18th century is played against the sinister feudal concept of the patron’s right to claim the virginity of a bride from his household the night before her wedding.
Supposedly the lord, in this case Count Almaviva, has forsaken this “right,” but he has begun to rethink his loss as the beautiful young Susanna approaches her marriage to the page Figaro. Much of the plot turns on keeping the Count at bay, his wife ,the Countess, a willing participant.
Sunday’s Figaro was Jason Hardy, who has sung “Don Giovanni” at New York City Opera as well as “Figaro” and similar roles around the US and in Florence.
Hardy has a rich bass, stronger in the upper range than the lower, and has the youth and stamina for the heavy load of singing Figaro requires. He moves on stage with a dancer’s fluidity, greatly in keeping with the formality of Mozart and the court.
He has good comic and timing sense and is a great asset to the ensembles Mozart loved.
Joélle Harvey’s Susanna was a delight. Again, young with a clear, beautiful soprano range, her solo arias were perfect and her duets and ensembles the same. Voices among the principals were so well matched that one could only wish for the same in productions of “Lakmé” and the Flower Duet in “Butterfly.”
It was a joy to listen to Harvey sing with soprano Erin Wall as the Countess. Wall was equally effective in her solo pieces, especially the sad third act commentary on her marriage, “Where are the sweet moments?” It was beautifully poignant and appropriately understated.
All members of the company, including secondary roles and the chorus, were in fine fettle for this season closer, particularly Jamie Van Eyck in the trouser role of Cherubino and mezzo Susan Nicely in her wonderfully comic portrayal of Marcellina. The performance was well balanced and paced, as they always are when Joel Revzen conducts.
And a warmly received announcement came from newly appointed Acting General Director Ryan Taylor that a campaign is underway to produce next season’s “Don Pasquale” in Tucson as well as in Phoenix. It had previously been planned as a production in Phoenix only, raising concerns again that Arizona Opera was destined to become The Phoenix Opera despite its origins more than 40 years ago in Tucson.
The 2013-14 season opens in Tucson on Oct. 19-20 with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore.” Tickets and information are available at (520) 293-4336 and www.azopera.org.
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