By Reviewed by Barney Zwartz
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Victorian Opera
Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
Until August 3
THE redoubtable team of conductor Richard Gill and director Jean-Pierre Mignon complete their traversal of the four greatest Mozart operas with the finest of all, The Marriage of Figaro, at the Playhouse in the Arts Centre. It shares the same virtues as their previous collaborations: clear and sensitive interpretations in which the music determines what happens on stage, intelligent and effective sets by Richard Roberts, vibrant and striking costumes by Christina Smith and some fine singing by a mostly young Melbourne cast.
It is understandable the company should wish to set this performance apart by using original instruments played by Ludovico's Band and pitching the score lower at a Mozartean A of 430 cycles rather than the contemporary 440, but it was a mixed blessing.
Intonation problems abounded in the orchestra, spreading to the stage as several singers also proved a little erratic. A little vibrato might have covered a multitude of sins, while the trumpets definitely did by playing so loudly they obliterated much else. Still, Gill himself was revelatory on the fortepiano continuo, illuminating the narrative brilliantly.
Among the singers, Tiffany Speight has moved from a superb Susannah in previous productions to a consummate countess, dignified but conveying the anguish that sets Figaro apart. Jacqueline Porter (Susannah) is a marvellous actress but was not entirely reliable vocally. Brett Carter was a fine count, though his voice has some maturing to do. Veterans Roxane Hislop and Andrew Collis were reliable as always.