Don at the Theatre
Don Giovanni
Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
Like the sprouting daffodils, Opera Ireland's spring season comes early this year to Dublin's Gaiety. The opening work is Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' directed by Jean-Louis Grinda in a collaborative production with Monte Carlo.
This brings a traditional period setting, with some eye-catching costumes, by Rudy Sabounghi. High-walled edifices -- one whitish grey, the other pinkish purple -- dominate either side of the stage while a backdrop suggests a distant horizon. Occasionally, stage action appears haphazard and even misdirected.
Musically? Well, David Brophy conducts with a bouncy beat, bringing unsettled wash in its wake. Choppy waters offer little sense of calm but, more importantly, the performance is devoid of finesse.
With exceptions, the cast rarely relies on beauty of expression, with most of the ensembles sounding coarse and poorly balanced.
That said, Paul Armin Edelmann cuts a swagger in the title role. His changing vocal colours show his seductive prowess. His brother, Peter Edelmann, is less persuasive as Giovanni's put-upon servant Leporello.
One might argue that the three ladies -- Cara O'Sullivan's Anna, Daria Masiero's Elvira and Mari Moriya's Zerlina -- are uncut diamonds. They pierce with unpolished thrust.
The ungrateful role of Ottavio is undertaken manfully by Paolo Fanale with both 'Dalla sua pace' and 'Il mio tesoro' intact, but these are too fast and unfeeling.
Masetto -- Zerlina's betrothed -- finds Christian Helmer rightly bewildered and gawky while Brian Jauhiainen, even on his memorial plinth, is the cavernous-voiced Commendatore.
- Pat O'Kelly
