La Bohème Puccini
Albert Herring Britten
CO-OPERA CO.
JOHN McINTOSH ARTS CENTRE, LONDON

Co-Opera Co. is a new initiative to bring together young artists in the various operatic disciplines, give them on-site training – a large number of the great and good in the UK’s operatic community have been involved in workshops and master-classes – and present them in full-length productions. The two shows launched at the useful venue of the John McIntosh Arts Centre at the London Oratory School showed this clearly well-run organisation not only developing its artists but showcasing them with gusto and to the highest standards.
The artists involved are either young professionals or students already at a high level of training. Co-Opera seeks to help them take further steps into the operatic profession at a point where gaining stage experience in complete operas is vital yet far from easy to come by.
These two productions were accompanied by the Chroma Ensemble, playing Britten’s chamber score and Jonathan Dove’s brilliant reduction of the Puccini with expertise in both cases; conductor Nicholas Cleobury ensured musical excellence in the Britten, with Tim Murray doing the same for the Puccini. Both shows were designed by Kevin Jenkins, with Louie Whitemore (costumes) and Paul J. Need (lighting). They looked wonderful, Jenkins’s small foldaway set for Albert Herring proving infinitely adaptable and Whitemore’s costumes pinpointing the post-war era of the work’s composition. Bohème looked equally stylish.
Young artists, of course, still have things to learn. In the Britten, while the majority of the text came over, some words were swallowed, though clear diction is essential to any operatic performance. One of two singers suffered from the standard uncertainty as to what to do with their hands. A couple of voices here were probably not of the requisite size or quality to make much headway in a large venue.
But the best was remarkable. Joanna Week’s Lady Billows, with shades of Christine-Hamilton-like hauteur, had a touch of the sublime, and – crucially – never let us know she thought she was funny; the essence of a good comic performance.  Henry Grant Kerswell produced a good honest village bobby in his Budd. Mitesh Khatri’s over-officious Mr Upfold was a characteristically pompous English mayor. Luke D. Williams’s Sid showed an easy command of the stage, with Laura Kelly a proper little sex-pot of a Nancy. Alison Barton was a suitably harassed as well as harassing Mrs Herring, and the three kids – Natalie Montakhab’s Emmie, Jessica Tetley’s Cis and Marina Lawrence-Mahrra’s Harry – were a constant joy.   
Unfortunately, on the first night the Albert -- Greg Tassell -- had a bug, and couldn’t sing, though he gave notice of an exceptional acting performance in silent mode, while Tyler Clarke provided firm vocal support from the wings. The production, by Ashley Dean, was focused and funny without ever tipping over into caricature. We need to see more of his work.

In the Bohème, a piece to which young artists always bring something special, the quartet of boys in the attic was finely individualised yet added up to a coherent group. Simon Schmidt was a memorable Schaunard, with John Bispham shining as Colline, and not only in his moving Coat Song. Michael Scott’s eager Rodolfo rose to an impressive ‘Che gelida manina’ – it’s going to be interesting to see how this strong tenor develops – and was perfectly matched in his last-act duet with Håkan Vramsmo’s accomplished Marcello. Mariya Krywaniuk’s Mimì made a couple of false entries without detracting from the overall quality of her delicate, engaging performance. Katherine Blumenthal had a whale of time with Musetta in Act 2, while tugging at our hearts later on. Robert-John Edwards gave cleverly judged accounts of Benoit and Alcindoro, the two most put-upon men in all opera. The chorus was superb.

The production, by the experienced William Relton, was full of marvellously observed detail and married up perfectly the joie-de-vivre of this miraculous work with its obverse side. If these outstanding shows come near you on tour, don’t miss them.

GEORGE HALL (Opera Now)
 

SMALL CAN BE BEAUTIFUL

La Boheme, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.
Publication, Date September 2009

Purists may scoff at small-scale opera, with its drastically reduced orchestra and chorus, but it is more than simply a boon to those who cannot afford higher ticket prices.

In smaller venues such as the New Theatre Royal, it give young performers just beginning professional careers an opportunity to develop their art without over-taxing their voices – and the audience an opportunity to see the whites of their eyes.

That was one of the pleasures of Co-Opera Co’s performances of the most intimate of Puccini’s three most popular blockbusters. Mariya Krywaniuk not only caressed the sublime melodies given to tragic heroine Mimi but was able to give big-eyed facial expression to her suffering. Another plus in an opera about young people struggling to survive in a time without state benefits was that the characters were played by people of a broadly appropriate age.

Although Michael Scott’s heroic tenor occasionally hardened under pressure in the role of Rodolfo, impressive performances came from his support trio of Marcello, Schaunard and Colline, and Katherine Blumenthal was a flirtatious firebrand of a Musetta.

Without the mixed blessing of the surtitles normally provided by larger companies in larger theatres, director William Relton made effective use of physicality to give clarity to the action and to enhance the comedy elements.

And conductor Tim Murray secured the most expressive possible response from a 15-strong orchestra.

MIKE ALLEN
 

Albert Herring 2009

La Boheme 2009

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