The Welsh National Opera’s autumn season opens in full voice this September with the popular classics Don Giovanni and The Barber Of Seville. Laura Morgan previews the performances and chats to director John Caird.
This September and October, the Wales Millennium Centre plays host to Don Giovanni and Figaro – two of the most recognisable characters in opera – as the Welsh National Opera launches into its autumn season of productions.
Opera’s greatest villain, Don Giovanni, will be brought to life as part of Mozart’s two-act comedy-drama that follows the titular Giovanni, an arrogant nobleman whose abuse of all around him leads to his inevitable confrontation with hell.
Having originally premiered in 1787, Don Giovanni remains to this day one of most widely performed operas in the world. The show’s critically acclaimed director John Caird – dad to pop songstress Eliza Doolittle – has his own ideas about why the show has such long-lasting appeal: “It’s about sex, the things that preoccupy men and women’s lives all the time. The great thing about Mozart is that he writes about ordinary people in realistic situations, so his characters and stories are very easy to relate to. Whoever you are, you’ll recognise yourself in one of the eight characters in Don Giovanni.”
It isn’t just the story that keeps people coming back to Don Giovanni, it’s also the visual spectacle of the performance. “My designer John Napier and I have worked on creating a sculptured world of dark intensity as a backdrop for these profound human dramas of an obsessive collector of women who is unaware of the desperation and loneliness he leaves in his wake,” explains Caird of the importance of creating a strong and imposing atmosphere in the performance.
In the Welsh National Opera’s second performance of the autumn season, The Barber Of Seville graces the Wales Millennium Centre stage. Rossini’s sunny masterpiece tells the story of Count Almaviva – a man who has everything he could ever wish for. He’s young, rich and handsome, but still unfulfilled. He is missing a loving wife and has his sights on the beautiful Rosina, who he only admires from afar as Rosina is kept locked away by the challenging and deceitful Doctor Bartolo. Almaviva soon finds help in his quest for love from Figaro, the Barber Of Seville. The opera is a comic masterpiece that has uplifted audiences the world over for almost two centuries. From the mischievous overture to the hilarious ‘Largo al factotum’, The Barber Of Seville is relentlessly entertaining and a glorious showcase of singing and orchestration.
Both autumn performances from the WNO are sung in Italian with surtitles in English and Welsh. There are also free pre-performance talks with each show for those with tickets to the main performance. Check with the box office for the exact times of these talks.
If you’re unconvinced that a night at the opera is really for you, consider these final words from John Caird: “Opera showcases some of the most beautiful music ever written, in such a beautiful fashion. It is sublime music and performance. If you want a profound artistic experience, it’s the thing to watch.”
If you decide that you’d like to check out one of these operatic masterpieces, but are unfamiliar with the stories, or don’t know what to expect from your first time at the opera, pop along to the Wales Millennium Centre on Sat 10 Sept for a beginner’s guide to the operas in this year’s autumn season. The Whole Story, which runs from 2-4pm, will provide you with everything you need to know about the stories, music and background of the operas that are to be performed this September and October. The session costs only £8 and provides the perfect introduction to opera for anyone new to the genre.
Don Giovanni, Fri 16 Sept-Wed 5 Oct, and The Barber Of Seville, Thurs 22 Sept-Fri 7 Oct, comes to the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. Tickets: £5-£39.50. Info: 029 2063 6464 / wmc.org.uk