ARTS

Florentine's 'Don Giovanni' seduces with eight beautiful voices

Elaine Schmidt
Special to the Journal Sentinel

The Florentine Opera's production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” which opened Friday evening at the Marcus Center's Uihlein Hall, is a showcase of seriously fine singing.

The Florentine Opera performs Mozart's seductive opera "Don Giovanni."

The production, directed by John Hoomes with music direction by Joseph Rescigno, features eight beautifully balanced voices. Each member of the octet brings a distinct, unique sound to the roles they inhabit, mixing show-stopping solo work with carefully blended, sensitively rendered ensemble singing, while creating thoroughly convincing characters.

Baritone Alexander Dobson (Don Giovanni), a libertine whose gruesome comeuppance is delivered by one of the many people he has wronged, used a ringing, present sound and duplicitous charm to create the quintessential bad boy.

Soprano Emily Birsan’s combined a silvery sound and easy, nimble, vocal technique with an earnest, dignified character, creating an elegant Donna Anna.

Mezzo-soprano Emily Fons created a fiery, deeply human Donna Elvira, blending a dark, warm, mezzo sound, with vocal agility and an easy command of the role’s soprano range.

Musa Ngqungwana created a thoroughly likable, consistently funny Leporello, coloring the role with a big soaring sound and handling comic whining and big, stand-and-deliver moments with equal ease.

Tenor Brian Stucki brought colorful, musically astute vocal deliveries and a tender, supportive persona to Don Attavio.

Remember the name David Leigh. The young bass, who is still in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera, sang the Commendatore role with a big, arresting, constantly focused sound, delivering both vocals and the theatrical elements of his role with a calm, magnetic command.

Two Florentine Opera Studio Artists, soprano Ariana Douglas and baritone Leroy V. Davis gave polished, delightful performances as Zerlina and Masetto, respectively. Douglas brought a bright, facile sound and girlish innocence to her role, playing nicely off of Davis’ warm, strong sound and delightfully hapless character.

Opulent period costumes helped define the principal characters and members of the chorus. Anachronistic white unitards, seen twice on chorus women, were an awkward choice.

Kris Stone’s minimal set included some eye-catching effects, from red confetti to a striking moon, and a dramatically backlit house frame.

Long, narrow tubes of fabric, lists of names, white doors and fabric panels, all suspended from above, were a bit much of the same visual theme. The often-empty stage, save for backdrops and Barry Steele’s eye-catching lighting effects, often dwarfed the cast.

Pay attention to the production’s non-traditional final moments.

The Florentine’s “Don Giovanni” will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Marcus Center, 929 N. Water St. For ticket information visit www.florentineopera.org or call (414) 273-7206.