October 21-27, 2004

opera

Don Pasquale

by Peter Burwasser

opera review

Gaetano Donizetti's 1843 opera buffa masterpiece, Don Pasquale, is like a dirigible, floating along lighter than air, seeming to defy the laws of nature, and highly susceptible to disaster via either overinflation or overheating. Fortunately, the Opera Company of Philadelphia's new production is no Hindenburg. This opera requires no stars, but rather lives or dies on the strength of the ensemble work, and in this respect OCP has done a wonderful job, beginning with the superbly alert and intelligent baton work of their new music director, Corrado Rovaris. From the very first downbeat, Rovaris deftly created the gossamer framework upon which the intricate vocal web could lay. Donizetti's score was lucidly revealed as the ingenious mirror to the drama that it is, especially in the subtly comic interplay of bass and treble orchestral lines, mocking each other as do the characters in the plot.

The plot in question is a skinny little farce, pitting a wealthy and controlling old man against ardent young lovers. It can become a silly, hammy mess in the wrong hands. This cast, under the taut direction of Leon Major, worked as a team to pull the comedy right up to the edge of bad taste without ever crossing over. This was especially true in the case of the central protagonists -- the title character, as sung by buffo bass Kevin Glavin, and the scheming Norina of Sari Gruber. In addition to possessing a fine, supple voice, Glavin is an excellent actor, bravely and even gracefully using his substantial girth to comedic advantage in the manner of W.C. Fields or Jackie Gleason.

Gruber was a last-minute replacement for Anna Netrebko, who canceled due to exhaustion. The switch was seamless; Gruber has a silky and agile voice, and the role fits her like a glove. AVA graduate Jesús Garcia sang Ernesto with a brilliantly ringing, crowd-pleasing tenor that should take him far. Dimitrie Lazich, as the Notary, and Earle Patriarco, as Dr. Malatesta, both sang with clarity and tonal luster and seemed to be having as much fun as everyone else onstage.

Indeed, it was hard to find any notable fault in this buoyant, beautifully well-rounded production, which featured sets and costumes borrowed from the New York City Opera. The OCP team made the music smile from the first note to the last.

DON PASQUALE

Through Oct. 31, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Academy of Music, Broad and Locust sts., 215-893-1999.