Director, Repetiteur, Conductor And Piano: Colin Forbes
Co-Director, Vocal Coach and Producer: Patricia Whitbread
Music By W.A. Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
English translation by W.A. Auden and Chester Kallman
Presented by the Canberra Academy of Music and Related Arts (CAMRA)
St. Phillips's Church, O'Connor 4 July - 13 July, 2013
Review by Len Power 4 July 2013
While sitting in a church pew, it’s rather unusual to be
given a warning from the altar that you’re about to hear a racy story about a
man with loose morals.
‘Don Giovanni’, Mozart’s popular opera, has been given a
simple production in the limited space of a church altar by CAMRA, the Canberra
Academy of Music and Related Arts. It
works rather well. Directed by the team
of Colin Forbes and Patricia Whitbread and presented in English rather than the
original Italian, the show is performed by a mix of local and interstate
singers who make fine music together in the good acoustic of St. Philip’s
Church in O’Connor.
The music is conducted and played on piano only by Colin
Forbes and the arrangements are so lush that you don’t miss a full orchestra
for a minute. Amongst the singers,
standouts were Judith Swanson, singing the role of Donna Elvira with fiery
passion, Peter Smith as Leporello, servant to Don Giovanni, Charles Hudson as
Don Ottavio and Rosemary Lohmann as the peasant, Zerlina. There will be some alternate cast members as
the season progresses. When the major
ensemble pieces are sung, the roof nearly comes off the church and it’s
thrilling to hear.
Peter Laurence was a handsome and young Don Giovanni and sang
the long and difficult role quite well, technically. However, stronger acting skills would have
provided the necessary depth of character missing from his performance. Some other cast members seemed to treat the
linking dialogue as just a necessary evil to be got through as soon as possible. The acting skills are there when they sing,
but they must act with the same conviction when not singing. The spirited small chorus did a fine job,
providing some unexpected and nicely timed flashes of humour here and there.
While clearly a production with a very limited budget, the
costumes would have benefited from more overall supervision to achieve a
consistency in style. The set of
Italienate columns and arches was quite substantial and pleasing to the eye but
seemed under-used in an essentially modern dress production.
Productions such as this one presented by CAMRA give
important experience to young and upcoming performers and deserve to be
supported. Even when you’ve seen a
number of other, more lavish productions of ‘Don Giovanni’, it’s refreshing to
see and hear it performed simply in an intimate setting. You hear things in the score that you’ve
never picked up on before.
In addition, CAMRA looks after its audience with great
liquid refreshments and a selection of wickedly sweet things to eat at very low
prices. All this and an evening of fine
music!
Broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress Circle’ program
on Sunday 7 July 2013