Last Updated on June 3, 2023
A sparkling Barber of Seville opens the summer season at Garsington Opera.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia has opened the 2023 summer season at Garsington Opera. The English Concert, conducted by artistic director, Douglas Boyd, performs Rossini’s Opera Buffa which tells the story of Figaro, the famous barber of Seville. This comedic opera in two acts, directed by Christopher Luscombe, opens with Rossini’s pacey overture – well known not only by opera lovers but also by those who are familiar with Looney Tunes classic cartoons. We meet Figaro (Johannes Kammler) as he takes his place in the marketplace and extols his virtues with a no holds barred exposition of all his abilities and revels in the glow of his popularity. From providing a haircut to counselling he is a one-stop shop of assistance to the people of Seville. In this instance, he is called upon to help with a tricky situation encountered by his previous employer, Count Almaviva (Andrew Stenson), who is in love with a young woman named Rosina (Katie Bray). He sees her for brief moments on her balcony but has no access to her as she is essentially imprisoned in the house by her jealous guardian, Dr Bartolo (Richard Burkhard). Dr Bartolo has his eye on the inheritance Rosina will gain when she comes of age. He enlists the help of the music teacher, Don Basilio (Callum Thorpe) to ensure that Rosina is kept away from Count Almaviva. Figaro hatches a plan: Count Almaviva is to serenade Rosina from the street below and then attempt to enter the house disguised as a drunken soldier in need of a billet and thereafter as a substitute music teacher. What could possibly go wrong?
Comedic opera requires that the cast possess comic timing lest the humour fall flat. On its opening night in 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, a cat wandered onto the stage and the performer playing the role of the music teacher fell and suffered a prolonged nosebleed. This was not the sort of comedy that Rossini had in mind. No such mishaps occurred on the opening night at Garsington Opera where the comedic acting of the singers kept the audience entertained despite some slapstick moments when all hell seemed to break loose in the household.
Johannes Kammler as Figaro was the star of this production. He commanded the stage with his rich baritone combined with his comedic talents which were apparent from the moment he cycled onto the set in bowler hat and red socks. By the time he reached the climax of his opening aria, Largo al factotum, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. He was a splendid Figaro. His height was used to full advantage – all those la, la, la, la, la’s in the first aria were funnier than ever coming from such a tall man – and also by positioning him in relation to the shorter actors in humorous ways throughout the production.
Andrew Stenson as Count Almaviva grew into his role as the production got into its stride and was particularly effective in the second act. I was not sure quite what accent he was supposed to be using as Don Alonso and found that to be a bit distracting.
Katie Bray was a sparkling Rosina – gorgeously attired in light pink silk – coquettish, frustrated, dreaming of love and escaping from the clutches of Dr Bartolo. Her ‘Una voce poco fa’ showcased her coloratura technique which she executed, seemingly effortlessly while reclining on a chaise longue. Later she performed more vocal acrobatics while nonchalantly turning the pages of a magazine. One rather discordant piece of staging occurred when she lit up a cigarette and smoked while singing ‘Now I can breathe again’.
Richard Burkhard was an effectively unpleasant Dr Bartolo with good comic timing and his powerful baritone voice combined with excellent diction in some tremendously pacy sections.
Callum Thorpe was deliciously malevolent and at this best singing La Calunnia. He had a wonderful sibilance which added to the malice of the words. Plotting to spread slander to destroy a reputation continues to be a contemporary device and his aria made me think of a tweet going viral. If the TV drama Succession had any need for a bass voice, Thorpe would have fit right in with that bunch of nasty characters.
Josephine Goddard as Berta had a smaller part than the others yet produced an effective ‘il vecchiotto cerca moglie’ in which she expressed her exasperation about the madness inhabiting the house. As an older woman she too was infected by lust and love as were the younger members of the household. She had a good stage presence and a most pleasing voice.
The English Concert kept up a jaunty pace from the start with a rousing overture that set the atmosphere from the pit while on stage the ochres and reds of the set glowed in the late afternoon sunset. After the dinner interval, act two opened with something borrowed – the overture to Sigismondo, also by Rossini. This decision was made by the Director and Conductor in an attempt to prevent the audience from sinking into a post-prandial slump. It got the second half of the production off to a fizzing start. There was no shortage of physical comedy in the second act along with some terrific ensemble work.
The set (Simon Higlett) and costumes were lavish and very stylish. The atmospheric set transported the audience to Seville with countless details of not only the small shops, Juliet balconies, iron grills, heavy wooden doors, terracotta, ochres and reds but also the twists and turns of the narrow alleyways. When the set revolved around revealing the interior of Dr Bartolo’s house, an exquisite Art Deco interior with lots of chrome and designer furniture of the period. Later I read that in 1929 Seville hosted the World Fair and a row of beautiful Art Deco pavilions were built along the banks of the river.
The Garsington Opera Chorus played their part with gusto and showed much comic acting too especially in the first act when they were dressed as musicians who appeared to have taken a break from the pit to make an appearance on stage. The chorus includes singers who have recently graduated from music conservatoires. Not only does Garsington Opera provide opportunities for younger opera singers to perform but it also is involved in outreach programmes that encourage younger and newer audiences to attend the performances. Il Barbieri de Siviglia is a particularly good choice of opera for drawing in new audiences as its humour and romance make it very accessible – no one dies of consumption, suicide or another catastrophe – and it has earned its place as one of the most popular operas in the repertoire.
Located in the rolling landscape of the Chiltern Hills, the Garsington Opera pavilion is rebuilt every season and then packed away for the rest of the year when the land returns to pasture. Located on the Getty Estate, the festival hosts four operas each year during a seven-week-long period in the summer. Performers include internationally renowned singers as well as those starting out on the worldwide stage. The English Concert has a five-year residency at Garsington Opera playing for one or two productions while the Philharmonia Orchestra play for two or three productions annually.
Usually, the dress code at Garsington is black tie, but for the performances of Il Barbieri de Seviglia, guests are invited to reflect on the production design and dress for an elegant summer garden party in the colours of the Mediterranean. Unless one owned a terracotta suit, this meant a more relaxed style of garb. The audience was very colourful indeed with azure blues, ochres, and terracotta in abundance. If only the weather had agreed to participate in the Mediterranean theme.At the end of the production, the audience spilled out of the auditorium which overlooks a large expanse of grass on which fire pits were lit as were the dinner tents on the perimeter. It was an enchanting sight. Garsington is an utterly charming and beautiful place to visit with a magnificent 18th-century walled garden that is not to be missed – there is a complimentary vintage bus – as well as walks around the lake. The purpose of Garsington is the opera but there is so much extra to enjoy and guests can arrive early – gates open at 3.30 pm – to enjoy the grounds. One can sit down to afternoon tea at the Boundary Room Restaurant overlooking the iconic Wormsley Cricket Ground or a glass or two of champagne and canapés from the Champagne Bar. The 85-minute-long dinner interval at Garsington Opera is an important feature of the evening during which we took our seats in one of the tents and enjoyed a picnic. You can bring your own food and drink or book a hamper catered by Feasts who have teamed up with Michelin-starred Ollie Dabbous. There is also the option of a three-course dinner in the Boundary Room Restaurant. We were very happy to have pre-booked a tent to enjoy our picnic out of the chilly wind and the circling kites who seem partial to smoked salmon sandwiches.
The 2023 summer season of Garsington Opera includes Mozart’s Mitridate, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and a reprisal of their acclaimed 2019 production of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride.
Wormsley Estate,
Stokenchurch,
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire, HP14 3YG
Performances:
May 31
June 2, 8, 10, 12, 17
July 7, 9, 16, 18, 22
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