Page 92 - FINAL_Guildhall Media Highlights 2019-2020 Coverage Book

sentiments of any scene or number absolutely clear whatever the surrounding chaos.
There is wit and lyricism, and much terrific music for the singers to get their teeth into,
and the first of two casts were uniformly excellent. As satyrs and shepherds, the Chorus
were equally warm and hearty of voice.

Lara Maria Müller (Nerina), Damian Arnold (Lindoro). Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic.
As the seria lovers Robert Lewis (Fileno) and Ema Nikolovska (Celia) had a fine ear for
the extended lyricism of their arias. Celia may be disguised as a parasol-bearing
shepherdess, but her nobility shone through in the pair’s first act cavatina duet, while
Nikolovska assured shaped the imaginatively, and challengingly, structured ‘Ah come il
core’ in which Celia contemplates her death. Her second aria was beautifully enhanced
by an impressive horn solo, and some fine violin and bassoon playing. Lewis pulled off
the tricky task of embodying the swooning swain, balancing absurdity - when etching his
suicide note into the tree his arrow snaps - and honest heroism in the opera’s final
moments. He had a fine way with the recitative. Lara Marie Müller was a pert and natty
Nerinda, but she also exploited the tenderness in Haydn’s music. Damian Arnold’s
Lindoro employed an occasional, and fittingly self-absorbed, sob in his voice - especially
when the melodrama ran high.

Haydn gives Amaranta some strikingly sophisticated arias which suggest there is more to
the wild child than initially meets the eye, and Eline Vandenheede impressed in a
frenzied rage aria and, especially in the tragic ‘Del amor mio fedele’ in which Amarante’s
humanity shone through her humorous excess. Matthew Palmer’s Perruchetto was
borderline unhinged but vocally secure and had a musical and dramatic appeal, and
madcap energy, which suggested he would make a good Papageno. I’ve admired Adam
Maxey’s stage presence and suave, dark baritone in several performances of late and he
excelled again as the ugly, unctuous Melibeo, resisting the temptation to overplay his
dramatic hand and letting Haydn’s music do the work. Siân Dicker was an exuberant
Diana and Mian Shahmir Samee a calm fluting presence.