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Don Pasquale - the White Hat review

Lyric Opera of Melbourne
Donizetti Don Pasquale
19 April 2006, Assembly Hall Melbourne
Cast: Roger Howells, Kristy Swift, Benjamin Martin, Laurence Meikle, Anne Radvansky
Musical Director - Chris van Tuinen
Director - Michael Camellere

One hundred and fifty years ago, Melbourne staged the first Australian performance of Don Pasquale. In that year, the aspirational classes wee also marching in the street, led by their populist mayor, to celebrate the achievement of the Eight Hour Day. This was a city on the way up and it wanted ‘grander’ opera than this little offering from Donizetti. They received it, and for a number of years, Melbourne had grand opera seasons of a size and scope that leave the present-day offerings by our major companies looking decidedly scant. Over time a number of those grand operas joined the ranks of the ‘justifiably neglected’, but Donizetti’s little gem continued to survive and be performed.

Lyric Opera of Melbourne has created a highly entertaining chamber production using four fine local soloists. Kristy Swift plays a suitably disdainful Norina and is never bested by the difficult vocal demands of the role. Benjamin Martin as Ernesto demonstrates a true lyric tenor voice and only in the difficult duet with Norina is his mezza voce tested a little beyond its limits. Roger Howells plays a Rumpole-like Pasquale while Laurence Meikle is a youthful Malatesta. Both voices are well focused with no hint of unwanted vibrato and every note is hit dead in the middle. It is a long time since we have heard two such fine lyric baritones together on the one stage. And herby hangs a problem. The role of Pasquale really calls for a buffo bass to contrast with Malatesta’s baritone. Still - far better to have a first-rate baritone than a second-rate bass.

The production makes a number of cuts to the score and uses a reduced orchestra but produces a convincingly tight rendition that is unlikely to disappoint. The small orchestra handled their exposed parts with confidence and without a sour note for the night. A special mention must be made of the trumpet solo a-la-spaghetti-western. The musical direction of Chris van Tuinen was assured throughout. Lovers of bel canto may find the tempos a little unbending but this would seem to be in keeping with the continual forward thrust of the staging.

The action, directed by Michael Camilleri ensures there is never a dull moment from beginning to end. We warn you that after this production you may never look at surtitles in the same way again. The night is full of visual puns, perhaps the most successful of which is a brief tribute to Les Mis. Although we have seen productions which are funnier and productions which are wittier, we have never seen a production with so many jokes to divert the audience. This can sometimes be disappointing for those who know the music, because even when a moment of pathos or beauty threatens to take emotions deeper, a gag will be introduced to keep things firmly on the surface. The result was highly successful with the audience on the night that we attended and we would expect it to be safest path to take when presented as part of the Comedy Festival.

No doubt, one reason for the popularity of Don Pasquale with opera companies over the years is that it requires small resources. However we doubt that even in 1856 would Mayor John Smith at his Queen’s Theatre or George Coppin at his ‘Iron Pot’ consider mounting it with such slender resources as this production. Lyric Opera of Melbourne continues to show that you don’t need large resources or a Government arts grant to make a significant contribution to the musical life of Melbourne – just talent and initiative.

White Hat, 20 April 2006

Our rating: Four Hats

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