Page 211 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

Both Olivia Boen and Adam Maxey played Wolf-Ferrari's comedy quite straight which gave the piece
a slightly Faulty Towers sort of feel at times. However, the moments of passion between them were
thrilling; Boen has quite a dramatic voice and Maxey matched her. In the lighter moments she made a
delightfully sexy vamp, whilst he brought an intensity and obsessiveness to Gil which made you think
that the marriage could not last! The third character is the servant Sante, an important yet non-singing
role, and here Brenton Spiteri was a scene-stealing delight! Whilst there might have been good
logistical reasons, having Olivia Boen strip down to her scanties to get into bed whilst Adam Maxey
simply got in full clothed seemed somewhat sexist.

We don't see anything like enough Il segreto di Susanna and it was lovely to see present day students
having fun with this intelligent piece of froth.

Mascagni: Zanetto - Ella de Jongh, Siân Griffiths
Guildhall School (Photo © Mihaela Bodlovic)

By contrast, Mascagni's one-act opera Zanetto never really catches fire, and for all Mascagni's ardent
lyricism the piece feels a little under cooked. But Ella de Jongh brought a wonderfully rich, dramatic
voice to the role, making the courtesan Silvia vividly ardent. She was ably supported by the charming
Siân Griffiths in the title role. Griffiths brought out the musician's otherworldly naivety and made a
lovely contrast to Ella de Jongh. The result, particularly when they parted, was touching without ever
quite tugging the heart strings.

Donizetti's Rita was written in 1841 in French but rejected by the Opera Comique. He had it translated
into Italian, but that version only reached performance well after Donizetti's death. Opera Rara has
recorded a new edition of the original French version [see my review] which is, I think a lot less
sentimental. If you regard the spouse-beating in the manner of commedia dell'arte then the work is
completely delightful. A bit of fluff, but prime Donizetti and full of enjoyable moments. The only
nagging problem is, of course, that his major comedy Don Pasquale can also leave a nasty taste with
its treatment of the elderly gentleman, leaving us to wonder about Donizetti's taste in comedy.