Theatre Royal Nottingham – Wednesday 6th March and Friday 8th March 2024
Reviewed by Jill Heslop
4****
Nottingham’s Theatre Royal welcome back Opera North for their Winter season with a rousing production of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni in a double bill with Rachmaninov’s Aleko.
Both are short operas, but together making a full programme, sharing the tragic themes of obsessive love and jealousy. This is a revival of Cavalleria Rusticana paired with the rarely performed Aleko and it works well as a night at the opera.
Both operas are directed by Katrina Sofulak and conducted with delicacy by Antony Hermus. Indeed, it is a beautiful treat to hear the live orchestra throughout. Cavalleria rusticana is known for its soaring melodies and the orchestra executes these wonderfully. The singing has some incredible soloists. Santuzza, played by Giselle Allen, displays an impassioned religious devotion which is transferred to the man who seduced and then betrayed her, Turiddù, played strongly by Andrés Presno.
The role of the chorus in both operas is important to represent community. When attending Mass on Easter Sunday in Cavalleria Rusticana, the off-stage choral singing is incredibly effective and moving, building steadily to the entrance of the full chorus singing forte on stage in the Easter hymn. The dramatic story is in the tradition of Italian opera – with themes of love, devotion, betrayal, revenge and finally death.
The two operas paired in this way work well together due to the similar themes but they are also contrasting which enables us to reflect on the different treatment of each story – the sparse, minimal, dreary staging of Cavalleria Rusticana with the colourful abundance of Aleko. We can differentiate between the traditional religious Italian values of Cavalleria Rusticana and the community of travellers espousing peace and free love in Aleko.
There is also a contrast of sounds: Mascagni’s score in traditional Italian with the romantic harmonies of Rachmaninov’s opera in Russian. Two different sound worlds creating a moving musical experience.
The lead singers are impressive. Robert Hayward takes on roles in both operas, singing Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana and the title role in Aleko. Andrés Presno is also in prominent roles in both pieces as Turiddù and A Lover in Aleko. Zemfira in Aleko, played by Elin Pritchard, displays a rich tone showing great control – singing the higher range quietly, at one point singing face down as she is dying with the ethereal sounds hauntingly filling the stage.
The inclusion of three characters from the first opera brings the cycle of revenge and tragedy to an end, with a focus on the guilt of the murderer and the waste of life. An emotional and intense experience with some beautiful well-executed music and heart-felt singing.