IL TURCO IN ITALIA

Rossini’s opera buffo is wittily transformed by Mariame Clément’s clever shifting of time, not once but twice. Whilst we enjoy the long overture we see author Prosdocimo, in a contemporary world, setting up with a publishing assistant for a book signing at which the press and his fans clamber for signed copies of his new book. He plays this with an air of arrogance, the best seller, scorns his female suitor in favour of the lady, maybe publishing PR, who he leaves with and as the curtain finally rises we see that she is now ensconced in his apartment, aiding him in his process and no doubt in his bed. If you have ever worked in publishing, as I have, you will know that there is nothing ‘buffo’ about this whatsoever.

But pretty soon we discover that Prosdocimo has writers block. He happens upon a group of gypsies, decides that they might be the inspiration for what has started as a 19th century historical love story but decides to strip it of the clutter of period costume, only to place it in the 1950s. Are you keeping up?

Strangely the complexities of this conceit work rather well in this stylish and very amusing production. Taking the author out of the fictional action and seeing him manipulate his plot is not only sensible but makes the whole far more credible, silly still of course, but far more interesting. As he scribbles notes about characters and action, his new girlfriend makes and suggests changes, maybe she is his editor and not PR, but it is certainly an insight into the workings of modern publishing.

The form of the new novel is a twisting love story. Donna Fiorilla is the pretty but sexually dissatisfied wife of Don Geronio, she wants more, more men. Inna Demenkova is simply ravishing in every sense, soaring vocally, delightfully sexy and equally comic. Fabio Capitanucci as Don Geronio is the loving husband, a solid but unexciting match for her in their relationship, but as a performer he is simply magnificent, the voice underpinning the mismatch in their relationship. Fiorilla is already having an affair with Don Narciso, the relationship here made complex by his job as assistant to Geronio in the family delicatessen. Augustin Gómez has a fine voice but at times is a little underpowered against the other principles. But what he lacks in volume he more than makes up for in comedic intelligence, he plays the role so well.

The story is already complex but into all this chaos we have Zaida, the gypsy siren, a full on assault of a performance from Grace Durham whose voice fills the room luxuriously. She has escaped from the harem of Turkish Prince Selim but no surprise as he appears on his ship to win her back. Michael Mofidian’s playing of the prince, here portrayed as a leather biker jacket clad rebel, is overtly sexual, he is a pelvis thrusting rocker, initially intent on taking back Zaida but on setting eyes on lascivious Fiorilla his head is turned.

Are you still keeping up?

Throughout all this our author winds his way, discovering the twists, changing the characters and writing, with help of course from the ever present editor, Anna-Marie Sullivan. Ross Ramgobin is every inch the author echoing the ubiquitous look of the late twentieth early twenty first century academic and delivering every note with a sense of entitled authority.

It is a wonderfully clever and witty staging, beautifully designed by Julia Hansen who gives the players plenty of visual gags (think sausages) to employ as their tangled web of love, lust and deceit moves forward and Bernd Purkrabek’s subtly shifting lighting design works well. The chorus, full voiced as ever, add further comic content especially when dressed as Turks in the hilariously comedic choreography of the masked ball.

It’s a delightful, beautifully sung, stylishly designed and wittily directed production given a contemporary relevance, promiscuity, creative blocks, cross cultural conflict… and all with the delight of Rossini’s score. Of course all works out in the end, but hats off to Mariame for making sense of nonsense with those clever shifts of both time and place.

Andrew Kay

19 October

Glyndebourne

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