Brilliantly sung Bellini at the Royal Opera

There are two main reasons why operas by Vincenzo Bellini are rarely seen compared with the works of several of other 19^th century contemporaries: the first is that he died at the age of 33 in 1835; the second is that his music tends to place such demands on the technical abilities of performers that sufficiently gifted singers are rarely found.

The last time his final opera, I Puritani, was seen at Covent Garden was almost 35 years ago but now, at last, a soprano has emerged who can take on the leading role in stunning style. Bellini was a true master of coloratura composition, characterised by dazzlingly fast runs and high notes, and Lisette Oropesa showed complete mastery over whatever he threw at her. Not only that, but the principal male role on this occasion, such by Sardinian tenor Francesco Demuro, also impressed with his ability to cope with Bellini’s high notes and fast runs, though not always with the apparent effortlessness of Oropesa. Compared with the warmth of her voice, his seemed a little harsh.

The plots of operas are all too often rather ridiculous, and in that respect I Puritani is worse than most. It is set during the English Civil War when Elvira (Oropesa), a Puritan, is in love with Arturo (Demuro), a Royalist. For political reasons, her family tell her she must marry Riccardo (beautifully sung by Polish baritone Andrzej Filonczyk). Elvira and Arturo plan to run away together, but Arturo vanishes, having encountered a mysterious prisoner who turns out to be the widow of the beheaded King Charles I whom he sees it as his duty to save. All this makes Elvira lose her reason, which gives Bellini the opportunity to write a glorious mad scene, but Arturo, now on the run, is sentenced to death by Oliver Cromwell.

He finds his way back to Elvira and restores her sanity by telling her everything and a happy ending is ensured by Cromwell winning the Civil War and granting an amnesty to all political prisoners including Arturo. Their reconciliation scene, however, was less moving than it might have been with the two singers directing their gaze towards the audience instead of gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

With glorious singing accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House on splendid form conducted by Riccardo Frizza, one can easily forgive a silly plot, but there were a few aspects of this production that added to the confusion unnecessarily. First, the director Richard Jones introduced a range of costumes that sometimes made it unclear when the action was taking place or which civil war it was. At one stage, when cowboy hats were seen, we seemed to have entered the realm of the American civil war. Later, we saw various anachronistic items such as flashlights on the stage, suggesting we were in the 19^th century.

Worst of all, however, was a sudden change spoiling the happy ending by having Riccardo stab Arturo. That was not what Bellini or his librettist Carlo Pepoli wanted. Basically, this was a five-star performance of a three-star production of a four-star opera.