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Make do and mend

Michael Tanner

Wednesday, 24th September 2008

Otello
Welsh National Opera, Cardiff

La fanciulla del West
Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera has given special status to its production of Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, reviving it for the eighth time since its debut in 1977. There may be more hardware on the stage than in any of its other shows, necessitating two long intervals. Piero Faggioni, the director, returned too, and no one could accuse the performers of departing from old-style routines. I can’t help thinking of Blazing Saddles and Johnny Guitar when I see it, and however much conviction the singers bring to their roles, this is surely not an opera in which you can begin to take the characters seriously. I know that it marks stunning departures in Puccini’s orchestration, always masterly, and in harmony, but that doesn’t mean that we mind whether or not the dastardly sheriff Jack Rance gets his woman and eliminates his man, or feel elated when at the close Minnie and the hopefully reformed bandit Dick Johnson run off into the sunset.

From every point of view, this is a preposterous piece, and Antonio Pappano does it no favours by concentrating so much on individual moments, most of which aren’t of particular interest, and not allowing it to flow. Convincingly conducted, it has a factitious energy which Pappano drained it of, leaving the singers to keep things moving along. Silvano Carroli, as Jack, closely modelled on Scarpia, another survivor from 1977, has nothing much but professionalism to rely on now, but in that respect he is impressive. José Cura was in far better vocal shape, and altogether more convincing, than in 2005. He looks like the sympathetic Hollywood cads of yesteryear, and his voice is serviceable. But the outstanding performer was the Minnie of Eva-Maria Westbroek, natural in manner and, the odd top note apart, free and rich in voice. In whatever she has appeared in so far at the Royal Opera she has made a striking impression, and it’s wonderful to encounter a star uncluttered by the publicity machine. The innumerable supporting roles, the sobbing cowboys, and so on, were all one could ask for. For anyone who enjoys such harmless tosh, this is an ideal if unduly elongated account of it.