United Kingdom Bampton Classical Opera – Gazzaniga, Alcina’s Island: Soloists, Orchestra of Bampton Classical Opera / Thomas Blunt (conductor). Bampton, Oxfordshire, 19.7.2024. (CP)
Production:
Director and Designer – Jeremy Gray
Assistant Director – Christian Hey
Costumes – Pauline Smith, Anne Baldwin
Lighting – Ian Chandler
Movement director – Karen Halliday
Cast:
Alcina – Inna Husieva
Lesbia – Sarah Chae
Clizia – Charlotte Badham
La Rose – Dafydd Allen
Brunoro – Monwabisi Lindi
Don Lopes – Jonathan Eyers
James – Magnus Walker
Brikbrak – Owain Rowlands
Bampton Classical Opera deserved the warmest of evenings in the most picturesque venue, the Deanery Garden, Bampton, for the opening night of this year’s gem. The build-up to last Friday had been challenging with two stars forced to stand down as ‘comrades in adversity’ experienced COVID-19 symptoms. With their troubles a memory, the Bampton cast performed Giuseppe Gazzaniga’s cliffhanger comedy with their usual contagious enthusiasm. Gilly French diligently translated Giovanni Bertati’s libretto with a licence to add comedy lines, of which there are many, in one of the Italian composers fifty-one opera buffas, best described as light-hearted entertainment for common people, full of frivolous and farcical incidents! Bertati based his libretto on a remodelling of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso; an evil enchantress transforming discarded lovers into rocks, trees or animals. Bampton’s simple colourful staging features three of those previously discarded lovers as stone animals – Orlando a tortoise, Ruggiero a rhino and Astolfo a lion.
Director, Jeremy Gray enjoys exploring the byways of eighteenth-century opera and an opportunity to investigate an exotic venue provided an added attraction. Among Bampton’s strengths is a very capable orchestra conducted by Thomas Blunt, good fortune in finding actors, of whom two were last-minute replacements who are happy to work in a small, dedicated team, supported by volunteers and helpers, many of whom have been with the company for most of its 31 years. Bampton’s rescue of an opera last performed in the UK in 1777 proves to be a very happy and amusing revival.
As 250 patrons, in warm sunshine, ended their picnic suppers, four dishevelled European tourists are washed up on the desert island, an island ruled by the capricious sorceress Alcina, with her reputation of a voracious appetite for lovers. The foursome welcome sustenance and advice from two charming nymphs, Clizia (Charlotte Badham) and Lesbia (Sarah Chae), who both deliver confident arias praising the virtues of island life. However, the shipwrecked four soon learn of the dangers of fantasising over the beauty of the sorceress and gaining Alcina’s unwanted attention, agreeing to swear an oath of resistance. First to set this courageous tone of resistance is the Iberian toreador (Jonathan Eyers) with a commanding aria full of his self-importance in his strong baritone voice. Frenchman, La Rose (Dafydd Allen who stepped into the part at two weeks’ notice), followed by the vulnerable Italian, Brunoro (South African-born Monwabisi Lindi) and finally the very apprehensive Englishman (Magnus Walker) put their trust in the nymphs with determined opposition to Alcina’s advances.
But in truth all four fall for Alcina’s good looks and vivacity; La Rose turning to drink causing him to hallucinate. Badham’s nymph Clizia aids and abets Alcina to promote a highly amusing song contest during which she takes the opportunity to attract the attention of the Iberian toreador using her stunning blue eyes to tease her prey. Inevitably, Alcina wins the competition and enjoys the besotted attention of the hapless shipwrecked foursome, soon to be joined by a German, dressed appropriately in lederhosen, Baron von Brikbrak (Owain Rowlands) who cleverly manages to confuse and muddle the several European languages before taking the huge responsibility handed him to cut a lock of Alcina’s hair in an effort to reduce her magical powers. Rowlands’s fine baritone voice, his performance as the potential fall guy, contributed to the ongoing madness of Act II, the duet with toreador Jonathan Eyers a highlight of the act!
in the leading role of Alcina Ukrainian-born Inna Husieva performs exceedingly well as the charming, captivating enchantress with every right to transform all four of the forlorn Europeans to stone! Husieva sings a tender cavatina in Act I as she admires her beauty, her strong stage presence put to good use as she announces she has no interest whatsoever in the now five, shipwrecked men, finally showing her indignation when she learns of their proposed escape from the island. This is the cliffhanger moment; will the five and their nymph partners effect an escape?
Both Sarah Chae and Charlotte Badham enjoy their nymphet roles, their costumes by Pauline Smith and Anne Baldwin adding to their allure. Seldom, if ever, does the pace drop, thanks in large measure to clever movement direction by Karen Halliday who ensures actors arrive and depart at pace from and to several locations. Ian Chandler’s lighting plots are simple, the stunning weather on opening night a bonus! Director Jeremy Gray paid tribute at a pre-event talk to the efforts of Thomas Blunt and the orchestra – ‘the fresh lively music engages your senses’. Gazzaniga may now be just a ‘footnote composer’ but in the eighteenth century he was a most prolific composer enjoyed by many in the local opera houses. Bampton’s discoveries continue to be a highlight of the UK’s summer garden opera season, long may this continue!
Clive Peacock