Entering the Wales Millennium Centre this evening, people are outside the venue clutching signs: these are artists struggling to keep their jobs with Welsh National Opera in the wake of announced budget cuts. This sight led me to consider quite how rickety a bridge an opera career can be today, in all Britain’s regions. The future appears uncertain – but there is hope.
A co-production with Scottish Opera, directed by David McVicar and revised by Greg Eldridge, this bold attempt at Puccini’s Il Trittico (The Triptych) should not be dismissed. With three separate stories, it debuted at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1918 to a mixed reaction, though later productions have taken what they like out of the selection. Spanning three hours in Cardiff, this intense evening was a joy to finally see together for the first time.
Il Tabarro, a thriller set on a barge in Paris, offers intense moments of suspense as Michele, the barge’s owner, discovers his wife Giorgetta is having an affair with Luigi, one of his workmen. Things end disastrously, with a horrid murder. Of the Il Trittico trio, I’d say this is the least appealing – partly on account of its pacing, even with its slight length of an hour. Charles Edwards’ set feels like Paris, the canal boat a nice looking set piece, and Roland Wood (Michele) recalls Bryn Terfel in voice and appearance. As Giorgetta, Alexia Voulgaridou gets seething moments in the vocal line and cunning in her deceit; Leonardo Caimi does well and feels authentic as Luigi. Dramatic blasts are the reward at the wrap-up; conductor Carlo Rizzi is the right choice for this production, and the orchestra are impeccable throughout.
Here come the nuns! Set in a convent, Suor Angelica is consequently an opera with all-female soloists, and my personal favourite of Puccini’s works, with bells, harp, a children’s chorus and pristine high strings all complementing the sorrow of the story. Angelica (again played by Voulgaridou) is visited at her convent residence by the Princess (Tichina Vaughn), who bears awful news; this leads to our trusty nun making rash decisions, defying her sacred oath. Voulgaridou’s soft aria after the dreadful news is a treasure – I was genuinely lost in emotion – and Vaughn boasts a rich singing voice and serious theatrical presence.
To end, comedic palate cleanser Gianna Schicchi. Edwards’ best set is seen here – a forced-perspective, 1960s or 70s-ish Italian flat stuffed with bric-a-brac – and Hannah Clark’s costumes are a treat, brimming with suits, parkers and floral dresses. The story sees Schicchi, expected to assist a money-hungry family, using guile and a good dose of double bluff to instead grab the estate of their dead relative, Buoso Donati. A fine ensemble cast are bouncing off the stage, with Wood and Vaughn among those returning, and we see Welsh opera star Rebecca Evans back again to boot. Jaeger Lee, as Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta, gets the cherished O Mio Babbino Caro, sweet and manipulatively aimed at her father. Lauretta’s love interest Rinuccio is Oleksiy Palchykov, a showy tenor clad in nerdy stereotypes; Gianna Schicchi lightened the mood after two more serious predecessors.
A big, ultimately impressive undertaking from WNO: with such a glorious company on our doorstep, more people ought to experience opera.
Il Trittico, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Sat 15 June
Also on Tue 18, Thurs 20 and Sat 22 June, then Sun 29 Sept, Thurs 3 Oct and Sat 5 Oct. Tickets: from £17. Info: here
words JAMES ELLIS photos CRAIG FULLER
