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Author
Carl Nielsen
Conductor
Michael Schonwandt
Director
David Pountney
Translation
by
David Pountney
Set
Designs
Johan Engels
Costume
Designs
Marie-Jeanne
Lecca
Lighting
Wolfgang
Gobbel
Choreography
Renato Zanella
Jeronimus
Brindley
Sherratt
Magdelone
Kari Hamnoy
Leander
Michael Schade
Henrik
Kyle Ketelsen
Arv
Adrian Thompson
Leonard
Robin Leggate
Leonora
Katie Van
Kooten
Pernille
Gail Pearson
Nightwatchman
Constable
Mask-Seller
Professor
Flower-Seller
Magister
Doctor Mors
Master of
Ceremonies
Martin Winkler
(All dates apart
from 30 Sept)
Mark Richardson
(30 Sept)
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Royal
Opera House
Covent Garden
19 Sept - 13 Oct 2005 |
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'Aa ja,
aa ja, ja, ja! U-ha! Mit arme
Hoved!' So begins Carl Nielsen's
'Maskerade' in Danish, and
the opening scene sets the
mood to follow: all farce
and fun, swept breathlessly
along on a flood of musical
pleasures. But this brilliant
production of 'Maskerade'
is not in Danish; it is in
very witty English. By the
conjuncture of several species
of the purest genius, from
set design to costumes, from
lighting to translation, from
Nielsen's delightful score
to the rumbustious performances
of the entire (and enormous)
cast, a masterpiece of comic
opera emerges.
This is despite the fact that,
as any half-practised eye
might spot, the bones of the
original opera are in themselves
an equivocal thing, for despite
the charm of the music each
element of story, shape and
length needs exceptional handling
to work. And it takes something
extra special to make it the
masterpiece now on Covent
Garden's stage. I imagine
a critic of another and earlier
day saying: a very slender
story is over-adumbrated in
the first act, the second
act is devoted to operatic
slapstick, and the third more
closely resembles variety
burlesque than opera, consisting
entirely of extensive opportunities
for dance, mime, high comedy
and low bawdry. Known as the
'Danish Figaro', despite a
limited likeness to its putative
model in plot, it is certainly
unlike it in artfulness of
structure ‚ for the good reason
that it has not got any.
But in this superb production
at Covent Garden these deficits,
if so they be, are transmuted
into virtues: and one cannot
too highly praise how it has
been done. That praise is
due to the director David
Pountney, the truly wonderful
set designs of Johan Engels
and costume designs by Marie-Jeanne
Lecca, the lighting by Wolfgang
G–bbel, the ebullient choreography
by Renato Zanella, and the
sheer enjoyment and abandon
of the excellent cast. Pountney
has brought 'maskerade' to
the Covent Garden stage from
the Bregenz Festival on Austria's
Lake Constance.
Nielsen's operatic writing
constitutes new terrain for
this reviewer, so the delightful
music was a revelation. It
confirms Nielsen's protean
ability to write in all genres
and moods, which makes it
no surprise that he produced
one serious opera (Saul and
David) and one comic one,
and that the latter is so
unrestrainedly full of delicious
and amusing music.
Nielsen based 'Maskerade'
on a play of the same name
by Ludvig Holbeg (perhaps
inevitably known as 'The Scandinavian
Someone' ‚ in this case 'Moliere').
Nielsen was an admirer of
Holbeg, and had long wished
to use his work as the basis
for an opera. In 1903 he began
work on ideas drawn from Holbeg's
play, persuading the literary
historian Vilhelm Andersen
to write the libretto. The
result was a three act comedy
set in eighteenth century
Copenhagen, telling of ructions,
disguises, erotic encounters
and misadventures revolving
round the heady excitements
of a masquerade ball.
To a man and woman the cast
throws itself into the fun
with tremendous gusto. Kyle
Ketelsen as Henrik threatens
to steal the show throughout,
not least because of his lovely
voice but also because of
the pleasure he gives as an
actor with a well-tuned sense
for comedy; but he has stiff
competition from a highly
energetic cast, among whom
Katie Van Kooten merits a
special mention for stepping
in so convincingly for Emma
Bell, ill on the night. Least
convincing in a lead role
was Michael Schade as Leander,
who sang with competence but
did not look completely comfortable
in his acting duties.
Sheer verve carried all before
it, though, so that such questions
marks as there were did not
present themselves at the
time. If proof were needed
that a silk purse can be made
from lesser materials, this
highly enjoyable 'Maskerade'
is it.
AC
Grayling |
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