The most immediately striking thing about this production is the amusing and colourful costumes, designed by Paul Brown. The characters wear costumes that are supported around the waist on long, narrow frames. The effect is to make them look as though they have ironing boards stuffed up their skirts. Graham Vick directs wittily, although I do think he misses the opportunity to have the characters do a spot of ironing during the da capos. Instead we get lots of stylised movement and dancing. All the characters have white faces so the effect is rather like a Noh play recreating a remote and exotic land.
The remote and exotic land is in fact 1st century BC Asia Minor where King Mitridate is trying to evict the Romans. He has a faithful son Sifare and an evil son Farnace who is secretly trying to do a deal with the Romans. Actually Sifare is not so faithful because, while his father is in hiding both he and Farnace make a play for the king's fiancée, Aspasia. Mozart wrote this opera seria at the age of 14 and it is based on a play by Racine, hence the intelligent and interesting libretto. I found this production stunning when I first saw it but, on second and third viewing I have some slight reservations. Mozart's arias are brilliant but they punctuate long passages of not very interesting recitative. Also, this being opera seria, there are no ensembles and few duets.
The opera features three trouser-roles, or, in this case, trouser press roles: parts that were originally written for castrati. Jacquelyne Fugelle is a solid Arbate. Ann Murray, in the important role of Sifare, is dramatically impressive but I feel that she struggles a bit with some of the coloratura. The best of the three is the counter-tenor Jochen Kowalski as Farnace. He is comfortable with the tessitura and makes the evil brother an interesting and rounded character. He is, after all, the only realist in the family with everyone else pushing for a suicidal conflict with the Romans.
As Aspasia, Luba Orgonasova is an unlikely object of everyone's lust. She struggles sometimes in her solo arias but her rare duet with Ann Murray is one of the highlights of the entire piece. My favourite character, however, is Ismene, the jilted fiancée of Farance. This is an extreme high-note role played by the beautiful and tiny soprano Lillian Watson in a stunning yellow floral dress. She looks like the last Russian doll in the set. As she sings she has a dancer on either side of her giving the effect of a vocal trio such as the Ronnettes.
The best choreography is reserved for the Fascistic Roman Army. For me, it was reminiscent of Springtime for Hitler but I had just recently watched the Producers. Bruce Ford has an impressive range as Mitridate. He too has dancers shadowing him as he sings so that they look like the Four Tops. I was, however, disconcerted by his red gauntlets: they look like rubber gloves. Maybe he was planning to do some washing up after he finished the ironing.
The remote and exotic land is in fact 1st century BC Asia Minor where King Mitridate is trying to evict the Romans. He has a faithful son Sifare and an evil son Farnace who is secretly trying to do a deal with the Romans. Actually Sifare is not so faithful because, while his father is in hiding both he and Farnace make a play for the king's fiancée, Aspasia. Mozart wrote this opera seria at the age of 14 and it is based on a play by Racine, hence the intelligent and interesting libretto. I found this production stunning when I first saw it but, on second and third viewing I have some slight reservations. Mozart's arias are brilliant but they punctuate long passages of not very interesting recitative. Also, this being opera seria, there are no ensembles and few duets.
The opera features three trouser-roles, or, in this case, trouser press roles: parts that were originally written for castrati. Jacquelyne Fugelle is a solid Arbate. Ann Murray, in the important role of Sifare, is dramatically impressive but I feel that she struggles a bit with some of the coloratura. The best of the three is the counter-tenor Jochen Kowalski as Farnace. He is comfortable with the tessitura and makes the evil brother an interesting and rounded character. He is, after all, the only realist in the family with everyone else pushing for a suicidal conflict with the Romans.
As Aspasia, Luba Orgonasova is an unlikely object of everyone's lust. She struggles sometimes in her solo arias but her rare duet with Ann Murray is one of the highlights of the entire piece. My favourite character, however, is Ismene, the jilted fiancée of Farance. This is an extreme high-note role played by the beautiful and tiny soprano Lillian Watson in a stunning yellow floral dress. She looks like the last Russian doll in the set. As she sings she has a dancer on either side of her giving the effect of a vocal trio such as the Ronnettes.
The best choreography is reserved for the Fascistic Roman Army. For me, it was reminiscent of Springtime for Hitler but I had just recently watched the Producers. Bruce Ford has an impressive range as Mitridate. He too has dancers shadowing him as he sings so that they look like the Four Tops. I was, however, disconcerted by his red gauntlets: they look like rubber gloves. Maybe he was planning to do some washing up after he finished the ironing.