Director:
David Branson
Conductor: Graham
Abbott
Designer: Matthew Aberline
Lighting Designer: Matt
Cox
During
the Canberra National Multicultural Festival, Stopera, Canberra's own opera
company, provided music and theatre lovers with the perfect opportunity to
pack a blanket and a picnic and trundle along to Commonwealth Park to enjoy
the last of the long evenings and relax to Handel's 'Ariodante'.
The
opera was played at Stage 88, a large outdoor performance owl at Canberra's
Commonwealth Park. As the orchestra began to tune, I cast my eye across the
stage and my attention was caught by three figures emerging over the steep
slope of the stage roof. Three dragons, in appearance and movement, slowly
crept along the roof, a dramatic silhouette that set the scene for the tale of
chivalry and love which followed. As
the light faded from the sky, and the C, music began to swell, the
introduction to the tale of 'Ariodante' was projected on to two large
screens.
Set in the ancient kingdom of Scotland, 'Ariodante' is the story of rival
dukes competing for the hand of the young Scottish princess Ginevra, and the
rule of the land. Ariodante, a foreign prince in search of adventure, has
fallen in love with Ginevra, and she with him. However, Polinesso, the Duke of
Albany who has ambitions for the throne, was courting Ginevra before
Ariodante's arrival.
Ginevra
talks to Dalinda, a lady of her court, about her love for Ariodante. Dalinda,
who is infatuated with Polinesso, tells him that he can no longer hope for
Ginevra. Polinesso resolves to use Dalinda's blind devotion to further his
ambition, and plots his success by way of impersonation. And so begins the
tale of mistaken identity, jealousy and envy, which ends with redemption and
the victory of true love.
Perhaps
one of the most effective pieces of direction and staging during 'Ariodante'
was the opening sequence. A large curtain hung from the ceiling at the front
of the stage, at a height which allowed the audience to see only the bottom
half of the actors on stage. As the action was played out, the audience was
able to watch the tale progress by the movement of legs. Sound difficult? With
strong
use of costume and choreography, we were able to follow the story.
Before
long the stage was thriving with color and movement, swarms of courtiers and
royals dressed in vivid shades of red, blue, black, and gold, trailing the
stage so that blocks of color moved here and there, playing out the state of
affairs in the kingdom. The set and stage designs were by Matthew Aberline,
and were highlights of the evening for me.
The
curtain was raised to reveal a stylised set, featuring inflatable
installations and flying coaches (complete with wings), amongst other things.
The costumes were a fantastic show of operetta porter fashion. Each was
individual, a combination of gothic and contemporary design, made with
interesting and effective fabrics shiny plastics, rich velvets and light
chiffons. Designed with outdoor, large scale theatre in mind, and lit by
designer Matt Cox, even from the back of the park (where I chose to sit) I
could see and appreciate the individuality of each costume.
Musical
spectaculars have annually been presented as features of the Canberra Festival
in previous years. Traditionally involving large casts drawn from the local
community and further a field, Stopera's 'Ariodante' was no different. The
principles were sourced throughout Australia from leading performers in the
worlds of opera, dance and physical theatre. 'Ariodante' also featured dancers
from the Hatchery and the Canberra Dance development centre, performers from
the Canberra Youth Theatre and the Oriana Chorale.
I
found that the music in 'Ariodante' was at times quite repetitive, although
further musical interest is provided by the fact that musical repeats in the
arias have ornamentation added by the singers, both as musical arrangement and
as improvisation. Despite this, the plot progresses at quite a steady pace.
Obviously, as an opera, this gives the audience an opportunity to enjoy the
music presented, but at times can feel quite slow. But director, David
Branson, enhanced the enjoyment of his audience by providing visual
stimulation to evolve the plot not relying on the vocals alone.
The
dramatic quality of the singers' performances
was really quite high, and the story could be followed without
translation. A welcome resource,
though, were the two large screens which provided subtitles as well as
filmic close ups of the drama on stage.
The
Baroque audience of Handel's day expected to be dazzled by fine vocal
work the singers cast did not
disappoint. The singing was of a very high standard with additional
authenticity provided by the role of Ariodante being sung by a woman. In
Handel's day, the convention was that high voices were the principal
characters, regardless of whether the gender of the singer matched the gender
of the role. Tenors and baritones were relegated to smaller roles. If Handel
could not get a castrato to sing a role, he never had it sung down
the octave by a tenor or baritone, but rather had a woman sing it
dressed as a man. In this production there was an interesting reversal of
Handel's allocations.
Handel
wrote the part of Polinesso (a male role)
for a female singer. However, with a counter tenor in the cast the role was
sung by a male at its proper pitch.
The
standard of the orchestra was also very high. Conducted from the keyboard by
Handel lover and sought after Australian conductor, Graham Abbott, the sound
quality was high and well balanced.
The
special effects, devised and performed by physical theatre company erth visual
and physical inc. were fantastic. Most spectacular were the
stilt‑walkers. Swaying high above the audience, and made more gruesome
by stilts on their arms as well as legs, they moved with a lilting gait. The
use of firecrackers was also welcome, adding to the sense of spectacle and
marking the happy finale.
One
of the most impressive aspects of 'Ariodante' was its high production
standards. Large numbers of actors and musicians progressed on and off stage
without a hitch. Physical theatre, stunt‑work and firecrackers, flying
coaches and rampaging rabble all did their thing without a hitch. The sound
quality was superb well balanced and amplified over the wide expanse
of the park ‑ and the drama was well lit and highly visible. There is no
use actors and musicians doing great work if you can't hear or see them. This
certainly wasn't a problem with 'Ariodante'.
'Ariodante'
finished on a happy note with the lovers reunited and the happy audience
applauding. It was a high quality production involving a large group of
Canberra's performing artists and continuing the tradition of large scale
musical spectaculars. With no word as to what will feature next year, we will
have to just wait and see.
CAROLINE
KNIGHT
