To understand why opera generates such die-hard fans, one need only take in the thoroughly captivating production that crowns Opera Colorado’s 2004-05 season.
It starts with an opera that comes as close to perfection as any ever created – “The Marriage of Figaro.” The 1786 gem was conceived by the famed team of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, whose understanding of theater and the operatic form remains unsurpassed.
Add a first-rate cast of singers who are all well suited vocally and theatrically to this work and seem totally comfortable in their roles. They are ably backed by conductor David Agler and a pit orchestra of Colorado Symphony musicians.
Finally, there is the winning staging by director James Robinson, who is at his absolute best here. He sets just the right tone, putting all his experience and skill to use in this farcical tale of missives, masked identities and misunderstandings.
Robinson skillfully plays up the work’s many comedic possibilities but does not overdo it, throwing in some wonderful visual gags and mildly bawdy touches that seem perfectly in keeping with the opera’s spirit.
Although this production is set in the 18th century and features gorgeous period costumes designed by Markas Henry, it can hardly be called traditional.
The scenery consists of a panoramic backdrop, some period furniture and a series of modular set pieces, which are rearranged to suggest the rooms of the count’s house.
But there is no attempt to create an illusion of realism or naturalism. Each wall section, with its rough back and braces, can clearly be seen as a set piece. The theatricality is laid bare.
This makes sense. Farces by their very nature are not meant to be in any way real or natural. Indeed, it is the absurdity of the interwoven and improbable situations that makes this form so funny.
Robinson adds another level of chaos to the story by suggesting the count’s house is under renovation. This only adds to the hilarity of the garden scene, which in this case takes place in and around giant, partially uncoiled rolls of fake sod that become instant visual gags in their own right.
The heart of any production is the singers, and Opera Colorado did a terrific job of assembling this cast. The most memorable performance is arguably turned in by baritone Mariusz Kwiecien, an international veteran making his debut with the company.
The singer captures the count’s strutting, self-possessed nature as well his bafflement, as his scheming always seems to work against him. Kwiecien makes the most of the count’s Act 3 aria, with a pliable, appealing baritone ideally suited to Mozart’s writing for this character.
Another first-rate singer is Maria Kanyova, with her fresh, unforced soprano. She just might be the best the actor in the cast as Susanna, totally grasping the nature of farce, enhancing her performance with wonderful facial expressions and physical comedy.
Offering a slightly weightier, more fine-tuned voice is soprano Norah Amsellem as the countess. She adroitly handles the role’s coloratura and offers many standout moments, including her Act 3 aria.
Bass-baritone Christopher Feigum might not be quite the singer some of the other performers are, but he holds his own as Figaro, successfully anchoring the cast.
This production has it all – ravishing singing and plenty of fun and merriment.
