Cinderella pared back, as Rossini would want it
Opera Queensland’s Brisbane Bel Canto festival has been gutted by the cyclonic weather, but a stunning take on a timeless fairytale is one very good reason to be cheerful.
Rossini’s La Cenerentola, with its wholesome emphasis on forgiveness and love, makes this composer’s take on the Cinderella fairytale timeless and relatable.
The narrative with lyrics by Jacopo Ferreti sidesteps shape-shifting pumpkins, talkative mice, magical wands and pending doom on the stroke of midnight. Cinderella’s guardian angel in this version is Alidoro, impressively sung and acted by Shaun Brown in an eye-popping, purple suit.
Director Laura Hansford’s inspired Opera Queensland production invests in kindness, bucket loads of whimsy and laugh-out-loud humour laced with irony.
Refreshingly, it is Cinderella’s generous character – she is compassionate and generous despite the misery her woeful stepfather and odious sisters inflict on her – which makes her an irresistible love match for the prince.
Presented in a concert hall without scenery and lavish props, the show’s pared back, theatrical simplicity emphasised Rossini’s insightful exploration of the human condition.
The composer’s evident contempt for the hype and overblown self-importance of the mega rich and powerful struck a nerve, given today’s harsh political realities.
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The look is floral. Flowers and foliage cheerily festooned the concert hall stage. Hats off to the wacky and imaginative costume design by Karen Cochet and Bianca Bulley, who nailed the flowery aesthetic in delightfully madcap ways.
Grass-covered armchairs sported petals and a burgundy chaise lounge wore a necklace of bright pink blossoms. Christine Felmingham’s evocative lighting design lifted the visuals and fashioned an unworldly ambience. There were delightful touches, such as the use of a giant wind machine during a storm.
It’s unusual to have such a talented and well-matched ensemble of local and international leads. Rossini’s arias are notoriously difficult, requiring extreme vocal athleticism and stamina. When Angelina (Cinderella), played by Mara Gaudenzi, delivered Una Volta C’era Un Re she thrilled the crowd with her lovely tone and admirable technique harnessed to expressive meaning.
Don Ramiro, the Prince, was impressively sung by Petr Nekoranec who, like Gaudenzi, sailed through the Olympian coloratura challenges.
Strong-voiced Samuel Dundas was a hoot as Dandini, a servant disguised as the Prince. Hayley Sugars was riveting and in her hyper and comic portrayal of Tisbe, the brattish sister she channeled Joanna Lumley in her Absolutely Fabulous role.
Sarah Crane impressed as Clorinda, the other vile sibling, and James Roser’s Don Magnifico, Cinderella’s stepdad, was horribly crass and heartless.
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The lively, responsive orchestra led by composer and conductor Richard Mills delivered the score’s courtly rhythms graciously with an admirably crisp articulation, expressive detail and empowering vitality.
The male chorus, prepared by Narelle French, sang with marvellous resonance and contributed superb support. It is rare indeed for the drama, the singing, orchestral accompaniment, acting and creative direction to be so equally accomplished in creating what is such a funny and stunning production.
More’s the pity that three of the shows have been cancelled due to the cyclone threat, although there will be another performance on March 8.
Now in its second year, La Cenerentola was the first cab off the rank in Opera Queensland’s Brisbane Bel Canto, a festival that champions a variety of song form and delves into the history and scope of beautiful singing.
Wednesday night, in association with One Equal Music, Opera Queensland would have presented a selection of madrigals sung by five voices with cello and harpsichord continuo by Monteverdi, Strozzi and Gesualdo, the notorious prince who brutally killed his wife and her lover in 1590.
Known for its poetry, heartfelt melodic intricacy, the madrigal is central to Bel Canto’s operatic tradition. Sadly, that concert has been cancelled due to the extreme weather.
The Long Lunch with celebrity chef Stefano de Pieri, with singers Rosario la Spina, Eva Kong and Jeremy Kleeman and the performance of Rossini’s beautiful, emotive Petite Messe Solennelle, has also been cancelled.
While Rossini’s vocal music is exceedingly demanding, Andrew Ford’s egalitarian Red Dirt Hymns, the down-to-earth song cycle with 20 songs each set to a different Australian poet’s words, including Sarah Holland-Batt, John Kinsella and Ellen van Neerven, has also been cancelled.
Ford’s songs celebrate the mundane, the everyday. They are intended for anyone to sing, regardless of their stylistic preference – be it pop, blues or country – or whether their voice is trained or not. With artistic direction by Patrick Nolan and Steve Newcombe the cancelled performance would also have involved Queensland Conservatorium vocal and instrumental jazz students.
La Cenerentola will be performed at QPAC on March 8 at 7pm.