United Kingdom Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera / Kerem Hasan (conductor). The Grand Theatre, Swansea, 27.2.2025. (LJ)
It is a rare opportunity to see an opera production not once, but twice, and both within the same month! Such an opportunity enables me to talk about two things: first, to revel in the return of the Welsh National Opera to Swansea’s Grand Theatre for the first time in over a decade; second, to compare the two performances in order to ascertain the lasting merits of the production and to evaluate its progression through a run that sees the WNO take Figaro from Cardiff to Southampton, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, and, of course, to Swansea. In my review of the opening night’s performance in Cardiff (review here) I discuss the origin and musicality of the opera, as well as the production’s staging and costumes, so I shall not repeat these comments here. Instead, I will point to some of the noteworthy aspects that reflect the WNO’s ability to deliver consistently good performances whilst demonstrating the adaptability required of performing live opera to different audiences and at new venues.
Though this production, directed by Tobias Richter, is not entirely new — it is a revival of the WNO’s earlier production directed by Max Hoen — it felt like a breath of fresh air to audiences at Swansea’s Grand who, like me, had long awaited the return of the WNO to its stage. As the theatre was opened by none other than Madame Adelina Patti on 26 July 1897, it is fitting that opera is featuring more prominently once again. The audience seemed to think so too as they responded to the WNO’s performance with unrestrained cheer.
Aspects that struck me from seeing this production in Cardiff earlier include the fast pace taken by conductor Kerem Hasan and Eiry Price’s moving performance of ‘L’ho perduta, me meschina’ at the opening of Act IV as Barbarina. Whereas on their opening night performance, Hasan tended to conduct at a consistently fast pace, this time there was more variety in tempo and dynamics. This allowed the more Italianate qualities of the score to surface. A sense of enjoyment at music-making itself could be felt in the orchestra’s performance of the energetic march (K492) in Act III. Singing the distinctive minor key aria (which I discuss in my earlier review), Price was just as arresting as she was in Cardiff.
For this performance, Associate Artist Erin Rossington took the role of Countess Rosina Almaviva. This constituted the most obvious difference between the two performances. Having already heard Rossington perform with the WNO at their New Year’s Concert at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in January (review available here), I was expecting good resonance (especially in the lower register), convincing acting, and a playfulness that, for the New Year’s Concert, elevated her rendition of Kálmán’s famous ‘Heia, heia, in den Bergen’ from The Gypsy Princess. After hearing her sing slightly more two-dimensional arias from twentieth-century repertoire, I was curious as to how she would reckon with a more psychologically complex character like Countess Almaviva. Rossington did not disappoint. Her performance as the Countess was entertaining and, singing in Italian, Rossington sounded more assured, with clearer diction and greater depth (both psychological and in terms of vocal timbre). Rossington conveyed the complex emotions required of ‘Dove sono’ well. Here, the Countess expresses feelings of love, hope, and agitation centred on her regret that the Count’s love for her (as we hear in The Barber of Seville) has waned. Expressive motifs were excellently counterbalanced by the oboes and bassoons, highlighting the skill of the WNO’s wind section. With more performances under her belt, Rossington’s voice will consistently find the clarity in the upper register that audiences had a glimpse at towards the end of Act II.
Other highlights included Harriet Eyley’s performance of the aria agitata ‘Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio’ as Cherubino, and the rousing finale to Act II, ‘Voi Signor, che giusto siete’, with Marcellina (Monika Sawa), Basilio (Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts), Bartolo (Wyn Pencarreg), the Count (Giorgio Caoduro), Countess (Rossington), Figaro (Michael Mofidian), and Susanna (Christina Gansch). Indeed, Gansch’s Susanna was full of intent, grace, and wit. Her technical precision and intelligent portrayal brought out the character’s individuality and purpose outside of her interactions with Figaro (Mofidian) and Count Almaviva (Caoduro). This seemed more noticeable in this performance attesting to how well Gansch has settled into her role.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, consistency and adaptability are just two requirements of a world-class opera company. With variations in pace and consistency in execution, the WNO Chorus and Orchestra once again demonstrated why they rank as one of the very best. Let us hope that this performance by the WNO will be the first of many more to come at Swansea’s Grand Theatre.
Lucy Jeffery
Cast:
Figaro – Michael Mofidian
Susanna – Christina Gansch
Count Almaviva – Giorgio Caoduro
Countess Almaviva – Erin Rossington
Cherubino – Harriet Eyley
Barbarina – Eiry Price
Doctor Bartolo – Wyn Pencarreg
Don Basilio / Don Curzio – Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts
Marcellina – Monika Sawa
Antonio – Julian Boyce
First Bridesmaid – Angharad Morgan
Second Bridesmaid – Francesca Saracino
Production:
Director – Tobias Richter
Revival Director – Max Hoehn
Set designer – Ralph Koltai
Costume designer – Sue Blane
Lighting designer – Linus Fellbom
Choreographer – Denni Sayers
Chorus master – Frederick Brown