Holland Park Opera proves there's nothing like a Dame
4 June 2009, London, UK
Majella Cullagh as Elisabetta and Yvonne Howard as SaraFritz Curzon
By Francis Muzzu
'The other night we stood in the wings watching the dress rehearsal, and we thought "that's Richard Bonynge!"' says General Manager of the Festival, Mike Volpe. Apparently Bonynge came to see the production of La Fille du Régiment last year, and was grabbed for the job then. 'We were thinking of Roberto Devereux, and off the cuff I asked him and he said yes' says James Cutton, the Festival Producer - 'Well', adds Volpe, 'he was right there!' They obviously still can't quite believe their luck at persuading the veteran maestro to open this summer's run with the Donizetti rarity.
After this mutual pinch-yourself session, the pair describe how they plan the festival each year. They’ve just finished organising 2011, and Clutton explains how each year comprises of a mixture of operas to appeal to as wide an audience base as possible; ‘We do a couple of certainties, and we’ve had a theme of verismo, and with Janáček we’ve found a new thread’. He’s referring to the success of Jenufa in 2007, and the forthcoming Kát’a Kabanová this year, for which they aimed to get as many of the same production team back together; Olivia Fuchs returns to direct, and Sophie Duprels and Anne Mason to lead the cast. In fact they’re very keen on the idea of threads, indeed ‘breaking down the barriers’. The verismo specialism has offered rarities such as Iris, Fedora and L’amore dei tre re, and next year a new thread starts with Pelléas et Mélisande. 2010 also sees the first Holland Park productions of La Forza del Destino and Francesca da Rimini, another long-lost verismo warhorse; ‘We’ve already got the hospital treatment lined up’ laughs Volpe.
Still, the great and the good descended upon the park for the opening performance of the 2009 festival. The immaculately tailored Bonynge looked sprightly and received much cheering as soon as he appeared. Lyndsay Posner’s production look very fine in a traditional way, and Leonardo Capalbo made a welcome return in the title role, as did Yvonne Howard as Sara. Majella Cullagh’s Elisabetta went for the full Bette Davis effect, and her dramatic focus and vocal technique compensated for a less than beautiful voice. And one last treat – as the audience entered the auditorium for Act II, a ripple of spontaneous applause started upon the appearance of Dame Joan Sutherland as she took her seat, soon leading to a full-scale ovation as the cheering audience stood and craned for a glimpse of the legendary diva.
