Falstaff

Ultz certainly sets a tone of humour with his witty settings for Verdi’s comic opera. The tapestry cloth, the row of shops make for a production that is truly half timbered – and it works to great effect. On a second viewing I found the whole more cohesive too with the usual excellent singing from the entire company. If I have one caveat it would be that the fine voiced Laurent Naouri takes some time to find his comedic heart and his Falstaff is too much rogue and lacking in lovable. That said, by the final scene he finds his humour and his inner rascal emerges – only to be somewhat dwarfed by Ultz who fills the stage with representations of a 20c demons from popular culture, a cluttered moment in an otherwise superbly conceived and directed production.

Glyndbourne, 19 May 2013

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