The brothers catch a chill

02/10/2002

Ivan Hewett reviews I masnadieri at Covent Garden

The Telegraph

"Masnadieri" means bandits or brigands, but the masnadieri of Verdi's operaare more than mere villains. They're the incarnation of romanticrebelliousness, the heralds of a new era of freedom. Weak link: Paula Delligatti as Amalaia and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Francesco At least, that was what the hero of the opera, Carlo, imagined when hejoined their ranks. But, when the curtain rises, we see him bemoaning hisoath of brotherhood to what have turned out to be a bunch of drunks andscoundrels. Meanwhile, stage left, the drunks and scoundrels stand stock still,presumably listening in respectful silence to this litany of theirshortcomings. It was the first sign of the fatal chilliness afflictingElijah Moshinsky's production, which was handsome to look at, yetdramatically inert.This was partly due to the oppressively large windowed wall bifurcating thestage, which swung ponderously about a central axis to sweep away one sceneand usher in the next. The idea was that through this we would glimpse "off-stage" action but, whenthat action was as sepulchrally slow as the coronation party for Carlo'sevil younger brother Francesco (Moshinsky clearly takes an austere view ofwhat 18th-century "singing and carousing" might have been like), you wonderwhether it was worth the bother. (It's true Francesco has sworn to banish"laughter and joy" but, if the chorus are at that point singing lustilyabout forgetting the dead and having a good time, it's fair to assume thebanishment hasn't been announced yet.)But there was much to enjoy. The conductor, Edward Downes, proved yet again that he is a master of Verdi's idiom, urging the orchestra to a performancethat was urgent yet supple.And vocally the evening was very distinguished. Rene Pape, playing the agedfather of the warring sons, summoned a vocal tone loaded with grief andregret, and a stage presence full of wounded dignity. Franco Farina played the idealistic and confused Carlo with a touchingcandour - and a lovely floating head-tone. Best of all was DmitriHvorostovsky as Francesco. Compared to Iago, Verdi's other portrayal ofunspotted evil, he seems a cardboard cut-out, but Hvorostovsky made hissadism compelling.The only slightly weak link was Paula Delligatti, whose defiant scene withwould-be seducer Francesco barely raised enough electricity to power a lightbulb. That aside, the cast and orchestra were strong enough to turn a badstart into something of a triumph. It's a shame the production didn't givethem a helping hand.