Gazzaniga’s effervescent Alcina’s Island is Bampton 2024’s hidden gem to please backyard opera followers – Seen and Heard Worldwide

United Kingdom Bampton Classical Opera – Gazzaniga, Alcina’s Island: Soloists, Orchestra of Bampton Classical Opera / Thomas Blunt (conductor). Bampton, Oxfordshire, 19.7.2024. (CP)

Manufacturing:
Director and Designer – Jeremy Grey
Assistant Director – Christian Hey
Costumes – Pauline Smith, Anne Baldwin
Lighting – Ian Chandler
Motion director – Karen Halliday

Forged:
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 essentially the most picturesque venue, the Deanery Backyard, Bampton, for the opening evening of this yr’s gem. The build-up to final Friday had been difficult with two stars pressured to face down as ‘comrades in adversity’ skilled COVID signs. With their troubles a reminiscence, the Bampton forged carried out Giuseppe Gazzaniga’s cliffhanger comedy with their normal contagious enthusiasm. Gilly French diligently translated Giovanni Bertati’s libretto with a licence so as to add comedy traces, of which there are numerous, in one of many Italian composers fifty-one opera buffas, finest described as light-hearted leisure for frequent folks, filled with frivolous and farcical incidents! Bertati based mostly his libretto on a remodelling of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso; an evil enchantress reworking discarded lovers into rocks, timber or Animals. Bampton’s easy vibrant staging options three of these beforehand discarded lovers as stone Animals – Orlando a tortoise, Ruggiero a rhino and Astolfo a lion.

Director, Jeremy Grey enjoys exploring the byways of eighteenth-century opera and a possibility to research an unique venue offered an added attraction. Amongst Bampton’s strengths is a really succesful orchestra performed by Thomas Blunt, luck find actors, of whom two had been last-minute replacements who’re blissful to work in a small, devoted workforce, supported by volunteers and helpers, lots of whom have been with the corporate for many of its 31 years. Bampton’s rescue of an opera final carried out within the UK in 1777 proves to be a really blissful and amusing revival.

As 250 patrons, in heat sunshine, ended their picnic suppers, 4 dishevelled European vacationers are washed up on the desert island, an island dominated by the capricious sorceress Alcina, along with her fame of a voracious urge for food for lovers. The foursome welcome sustenance and recommendation from two charming nymphs, Clizia (Charlotte Badham) and Lesbia (Sarah Chae), who each ship assured arias praising the virtues of island life. Nonetheless, the shipwrecked 4 quickly be taught of the hazards of fantasising over the fantastic thing about the sorceress and gaining Alcina’s undesirable consideration, agreeing to swear an oath of resistance. First to set this brave tone of resistance is the Iberian toreador (Jonathan Eyers) with a commanding aria filled with his self-importance in his sturdy tenor voice. Frenchman, La Rose (Dafydd Allen who stepped into the half at two weeks’ discover), adopted by the weak Italian, Brunoro (South African-born Monwabisi Lindi) and at last the very apprehensive Englishman (Magnus Walker) put their belief within the nymphs with decided opposition to Alcina’s advances.

However in fact all 4 fall for Alcina’s attractiveness and vivacity; La Rose turning to drink iNFLicting him to hallucinate. Badham’s nymph Clizia aids and abets Alcina to advertise a extremely amusing tune contest throughout which she takes the chance to draw the eye of the Iberian toreador utilizing her beautiful blue eyes to tease her prey. Inevitably, Alcina wins the comPetitors and enjoys the besotted consideration of the hapless shipwrecked foursome, quickly to be joined by a German, dressed appropriately in lederhosen, Baron von Brikbrak (Owain Rowlands) who cleverly manages to confuse and muddle the a number of European languages earlier than taking the massive accountability handed him to chop a lock of Alcina’s hair in an effort to scale back her magical powers. Rowlands’s positive bass voice, his efficiency because the potential fall man, contributed to the continuing insanity of Act II, the duet with toreador Jonathan Eyers a spotlight of the act!

Ukrainian-born, Inna Husieva took the main function of Alcina with only a few weeks’ discover: she performs exceedingly nicely because the charming, charming enchantress and has each proper to remodel all 4 of the forlorn Europeans to stone! She sings a young cavatina in Act 1 as she admires her magnificence, her sturdy stage presence put to good use as she proclaims she has no curiosity in any respect within the now 5, shipwrecked males, lastly exhibiting her indignation when she learns of their proposed escape from the island. That is the cliffhanger second; will the 5 and their nymph companions impact an escape?

Each Sarah Chae and Charlotte Badham get pleasure from their nymphet roles, their costumes by Pauline Smith and Anne Baldwin including to their attract. Seldom, if ever, does the tempo drop, thanks in giant measure to intelligent motion route by Karen Halliday who ensures actors arrive and depart at tempo from and to a number of places. Ian Chandler’s lighting plots are easy, the beautiful climate on opening evening a bonus! Director Jeremy Grey paid tribute at a pre-event speak to the efforts of Thomas Blunt and the orchestra – ‘the contemporary full of life music engages your senses’. Gazzaniga could now be only a ‘footnote composer’ however within the eigteenth century he was a most prolific composer loved by many within the native opera homes. Bampton’s discoveries proceed to be a spotlight of the UK’s summer time backyard opera season, lengthy could this proceed!

Clive Peacock