Raising the curtain on Wellington Opera
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
An expectant buzz from the large opening night audience quietened as house lights dimmed and the familiar Overture for Mozart's opera Don Giovanni began. Unusually the curtain was already raised on a minimal set - the facade of house, a single chandelier behind and a ladder. Do we recognise the nobleman climbing that ladder to an upstairs bedroom while his servant keeps nervous watch? And who is that beautiful young woman in the window above?
Then, unexpectedly, the curtain fell while the overture continued. A new opera company had begun its premiere production with a teasing glimpse of three principal characters and a hint of a evening that might contain some surprises.
The biggest surprise may be that Matthew Ross, Artistic Director of Wellington Opera, and his team of creative artists, funders and supporters have chosen to launch a new opera company into a world where curtains began coming down on the performing arts worldwide over a year ago. But perhaps the times have facilitated this audacious decision? New Zealand audiences seem eager for live events, many talented young singers came here as overseas opportunities dried up and Wellingtonians’ hunger for opera is not currently fully satisfied by our national company.
Don Giovanni is also a considered choice. Mozart’s operas are beloved in the popular repertoire and the #metoo movement offers contemporary relevance to this tale of a heartless libertine pursuing sexual gratification without care for those he hurts. NZ Opera toured this work less than a decade ago and the Auckland Philharmonia offered it in concert in 2019 so it’s not a novel choice. But a new company in this most expensive of artforms is probably wise not to begin life with repertoire outside the “Top 10”.
Amelia Berry as Donna Anna - “genuine pathos…compelling”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
The new company’s Don Giovanni pleased in many ways. Several of the principal roles had been offered to singers with developing international careers who clearly relished an opportunity to interpret these major roles. Soprano Amelia Berry shone in the role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni for NZ Opera in 2014; now, in the much more demanding role of Donna Anna she brought the same strong stage presence, a bright soprano voice and genuine pathos as she mourned her father. It’s a ‘big sing’ - she showed some vocal fatigue and wayward intonation at the end of Act 1 - but her aria “Non mi dir” in Act 2 was beautifully compelling.
The title role of Don Giovanni is problematic in most productions. Mozart and librettist da Ponte don’t take us inside the head of this shameless party boy; he seems without genuine feeling for anyone, not even his side-kick Leporello. Baritone Christian Thurston played the promiscuous anti-hero with a deft touch and light vocal approach, communicating the superficial nature of the Don but not really finding the charisma that makes him believably irresistible.
Joel Amosa (Masetto) and Natasha Wilson (Zerlina) - great chemistry
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
Some of the best chemistry on the stage came from the pairing of Natasha Wilson (Zerlina) and Joel Amosa (Masetto). Great singing from both, agile theatre and a clever combination of comedy and real feeling drew us into every solo and duet. Oliver Sewell (Don Ottavio) has a beautiful tenor voice and his Act 1 aria “Dalla sua pace la mia dipende” (“On her peace my peace depends”) won the audience over with his believable love for Donna Anna. Paul Whelan is one of the most experienced singers in the production; the role of Commendatore doesn’t offer huge scope but he brought authority, marvellous singing and, at the conclusion, real menace to the stage.
Donna Elvira, foolishly in love with Don Giovanni and gullible in the face of his tricks, is nonetheless a complex character. In Act 1 she was portrayed as ridiculous in costume and behaviour. Soprano Amanda Atlas really shone vocally and dramatically in Act 2 as Elvira grew in dignity and emotional heft, genuinely conflicted about her passionate feelings. Atlas inhabited her tragic character powerfully in both solo arias and ensemble pieces.
Amanda Atlas as Donna Elvira - dignity and emotional heft
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
Mozart saw Don Giovanni as an “opera buffa” and this production emphasises the ambiguities and comedic elements. Key to this is Leporello, played here by bass-baritone James Ioelu with relaxed flair. He is the enabler of Don Giovanni’s bad behaviour but sees through his master and longs for a different life. Ioelu is a great operatic talent and was a compelling presence throughout with effortlessly fine singing and comic timing.
James Ioelu as Leporello - fine singing and comic timing
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
He and several other members of the cast were supported by the Dame Kiri te Kanawa Foundation, and the presence of Dame Kiri herself in the audience added lustre to opening night. It must have been a thrill for these singers to perform in the presence of their iconic mentor and supporter.
Director Sara Brodie plays a major role in New Zealand’s music theatre sector and Don Giovanni showcases some of her most intriguing work. The action is mostly slick and lively, the design (by Meg Rollandi) and lighting (by Jo Kilgour) unobtrusive and always effective. A clever front- and back-stage approach to the simple set reminds us that a façade is just that and the quick switches kept audience and singers on their toes. And the enormous floor-to-ceiling banner listing the Don’s conquests marvellously enhanced Leporello’s hilarious “Madamina, il catalogo è questo” (“Dear lady, this is the catalogue.”).
Donna Elvira (Amanda Atlas) contemplates the catalogue of the Don’s conquests
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
The dualities extend to costuming in what Brodie has described as a “timeless’ production. Characters of aristocratic status are in period dress but with other roles including Leporello and chorus in casual garb of trainers, beanie and black T-shirts, the brocade jackets and flowing dresses become more like dress-ups, an impression strengthened when a rack of fancy costumes is wheeled on stage for the exciting young singers of the chorus to take their pick.
Young women sprawled unconscious in the party scene reinforce the #metoo theme. The “Nope” T-shirt at the end of Donna Elvira’s anguished and touching aria may have been a jarring note, but the audience was as appalled as Zerlina and Masetto by her abuse at the hands of Don Giovanni.
Of course, the Don has to get his come-uppance and his downfall arrives in the famously dramatic final scene in which the Commendatore, now a memorial tombstone, banishes him to the fires of hell. The monstrous version of the all-powerful statue produced a sadly farcical staging moment. Wobbling a little as it advanced on Don Giovanni, it collapsed gracelessly over him, apparently smothering him in folds of fabric. I’ve seen many less-than-successful versions of this scene and wished this mostly clever production had done something more tellingly dramatic.
A facade is just that - Don Giovanni (Christian Thurston) impersonates his servant Leporello
The whole-hearted applause that greeted cast and creative team in the curtain calls demonstrated the pleasure this new opera company has brought in its premiere production. Congratulations to Artistic Director Ross for his vision in bringing the company to life and for his musical leadership of a stylish performance by Orchestra Wellington in the pit.
Don Giovanni by Wellington Opera is on stage until Saturday 24 April at the Wellington Opera House. More information and bookings here.