Fizzing opera
Garth Wilshere22/02/2012 10:33:00 a.m.
OPERA in a Days Bay Garden’s third summer venture was Handel’s witty and ironic operatic masterpiece Alcina.
Excellent young singers, a fine principal NZSO-player, a 14-piece orchestra led by violinist Donald Armstrong, direction from conductor MichaelVinten and director Sara Brodie all in a glorious garden setting. It was a fizzing, feast of imaginative, innovative opera.
The weather behaved and the opera being set on a fantastical enchanted island, with the sea visible from a luxuriant garden, was perfect.
Enchantress Alcina has had many lovers, and the chorus transformed into demented, geriatric creatures with their distinctive crumbling white costumes and silvery-white wigs. The black-suited security guards added menace and atmosphere.
Brodie moved her performers with elegance, style and choreographic grace using the whole garden to excellent effect.
Bradmante (a charismatic Bianca Andrew, disguised as her brother Ricciardo) arrives on the island looking for her husband Ruggierro (Stephen Diaz).With Bradmante is Ruggiero’s former trainer Meliso (Kieran Rayner). They encounter Morgana, Alcina’s sister, played with willowy, fey elegance by Rhona Fraser who instantly falls for the “young man” which incurs rage and jealousy from her lover Oronte (Tom Atkins).
A young boy Oberto deliciously played as a rascally scout by Olga Gryniewicz is looking for his father, transformed by Alcina.
The complicated plot was easy to follow with the excellent diction from all singers.
As a glamorous, Amazon-like, seducing sorceress Bryony Williams commanded the stage as Alcina. She sang brilliantly with power and accuracy.
Counter-tenor Stephen Diaz projected and sang with involvement and passion.
The production sparkled with humour, sensuousness, strength and grit. Orchestra forces could hardly be bettered and the whole was a triumph.







