Under its celebrated conductor Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Opera’s concert performance must rank as one of the most satisfying evenings of opera in Wales this year.
The story is like a skit on the conventions of comic opera with daft characters, troubled young lovers, ridiculous swapping of identities, young love prevailing over the machinations of crusty old men and, of course, everyone being reconciled.
Prokofiev also manages to have splendid attacks on organised religion and capitalism, along the way, and rather unusual in comic opera, it is actually funny and makes you laugh!
This was, of course, reliant on a marvellous cast several of whom not only delighted out ears but produced totally endearing comic acting.
Gergiev placed himself and his orchestra on the centre of the stage, with the chorus raised behind and the principals at the front, but not simply plonked on chairs and standing to sing.
Rather, they weaved their way around the chairs, used the wings, interacted with the players and proved so effective in their communications through song and gesture that the surtitles were hardly required.
The excellent Sergey Aleksashkin sang Mendoza, the rich Seville fish merchant whose attempts to marry nobleman the daughter of Don Jerome, splendidly sung by Evgeny Akimov, and the zany plot to stop this happening form the plot.
Aleksashkin wove an adorable comic acting and singing role with consummate craft and seeming ease.
We had sparkling performances from soprano Anastasia Kalagina as the feisty daughter Louisa and the charming Yulia Matochkina as her friend Clara.
The young women have their eyes on younger men, the dreamily sung tenor of Dmitry Voropaev as Antonio and the richly voiced Don Ferdinand, from Roman Burdenko.
The trio of scheming women was completed by the again accomplished comic actor-singer of Larisa Diadkova as The Duenna. They were totally absorbing, making the need for costumes to convey the subterfuges unnecessary.
The actual monastery scene was hilarious with wonderful character singing from Yury Vlasov as Father Benedictine and Andrey Popov a riot in the monks’ drinking chorus.
In this Andalusian tale from a Russian composer, cast and orchestra the music glistened with thrilling playing both in ensemble and individual contributions with a score that is both rarely performed but remarkably familiar with so much of Prokofiev's signature musical vocabulary.
