Don Pasquale

Where do you start when a performance is as fine as this? Exquisitely sung, as one might expect of any Glyndebourne production, the company driven at a bristling pace by conductor Enrique Mazola make the complexities of the score sound incredibly natural and, dare I suggest it, easy. Nikolay Borchev’s Dr Malatesta is suavely wicked, Alessandro Corbelli’s Don is a charming rascal and together their vocal performances are breathtaking, show-stealing even. Corbelli is a fine actor, convincingly shifting from confident arrogance to wounded buffoon with ease. Danielle de Niese is equally exciting as Norina, making the most of her voice’s harder tones to emphasise the cruelty of the role. Alek Shrader as the indolent Ernesto sings with great charm if at times a little underpowered, but nonetheless with great purity and skill. Julia Hansen’s design is excellent, clever without being tricksy and Mariame Clèment’s direction, which takes a darker view than comedic, works for me. A word too for James Platt whose rich voice gives the role of Notary a real presence. The chorus, all in white, are fine too in their few moments on stage and give a performance that is razor sharp.

Glyndebourne, 24 July 2013

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