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UCO’s Fiesque |
Students calm and ‘collected’
REVIEW: FIESQUE
Universiry College Opera
Bloomsbury Theatre
UNIVERSITY College Opera continues the Camden tradition of excavating the operatic archives with their latest production, Eduard Lalo’s 1868 opera Fiesque. It was not the hoped-for masterpiece but it provided an interesting evening for opera “collectors”.
Based on an early Schiller drama, it deals with 16th-century Genoese politics.
Lalo, best known for the Symphonie Espagnole and a later opera, Le Roi d’Ys, does not produce the great emotion-packed arias and ensembles needed to make this strange, confused story create a real impact. It is full of curious, but not particularly attractive orchestration, especially for woodwind, and rather clumsy vocal writing.
Emma Rivlin’s staging makes the most of it, skilfully directing the excellent UCLU (University College London Union) chorus in their big crowd scenes, and doing as much as anyone could to direct the main characters through the implausible convolutions of the story.
Vocally the honours went to the men. In the title role, David Curry, an accomplished singer with an attractive tenor and compelling stage presence, produced some exciting singing. Adam Green’s Hassan – an all-purpose plotter and assassin – sang well but needs more power at the top of the voice. Robert Davies’s Verrina showed an attractive tone, but was also somewhat underpowered. In the small role of Doria, Carl Gombrich displayed a voice of quality.
As Doria’s daughter, Julie Alison Crookendale looked fabulous in a gleaming red dress, but her unfocused tone was ungrateful to the ear. Margaret Cooper, as Léonore, Fiesque’s wife, sang with great commitment but a rather unsteady, tremulous tone. Several smaller roles were creditably taken by UCO members.
The UCLU orchestra was disappointing, with poor ensemble and uncertain tuning. Nevertheless all credit to UCO for providing a stimulating and intriguing evening.
HELEN LAWRENCE |
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