Clever details abound in 'La Cenerentola'
By Roy C. Dicks, Correspondent
RALEIGH - Opera is extremely difficult to do well because of its many interdependent human and technical elements. Opera fans dream of the rare production in which all elements function as one. That dream is made reality in the Opera Company of North Carolina's “La Cenerentola.”
There's so much that's excellent in this staging of Rossini's Cinderella story that it's hard to know where to start. Certainly the keystone is director James Marvel's cleverly detailed concept, each scene filled with myriad hilarious touches yet never crossing into campy silliness, an affliction prevalent in so many Rossini productions. Marvel keeps the focus on human interaction, allowing Rossini's astute renderings of greed, arrogance, forgiveness and love to shine through.
The confident singer-actors do full justice to their roles and are willing to perform whatever Marvel throws at them, from weaving themselves into a human chain to crawling on the floor. They project such joy in performing that the production whizzes along despite its nearly three-hour duration.
Priti Gandhi's rich, rounded mezzo gives Cinderella a pleasing warmth and selfless character, never merely showy but solidly assured in the part's difficult ornamentation. As the stepsisters, Danielle Pecone (Clorinda) and Julia Tobiska (Tisbe) sing brightly and precisely, aiming their roles towards caricature (with Rossini's encouragement) but retaining enough humanity to make their pleas for Cinderella's pardon moving.
It's the men, however, who dominate the stage most of the evening. In this “Cinderella,” there's not just a Prince (Ramiro), but also his valet (Dandini), his court advisor (Alidoro) and the stepsisters' father (Don Magnifico). Rossini challenges them all with fast patter, tricky rhythms and complicated ensembles, but the men charge ahead undaunted.
Tenor Brian Stucki takes on Ramiro's nearly impossible lines with relish, popping out high notes and roulades effortlessly. As the cocky Dandini, Andrew Garland displays an attractive baritone and an adroit sense of timing, the comic engine of the piece. Bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo supplies the pompous Magnifico with crystal diction and hysterical body language, achieving laughs with a single look or gesture. Branch Fields' ample bass adds sturdy demeanor to Alidoro. And the men's chorus, under Nathan Leaf's direction, is a solid asset to all their scenes.
Conductor Tim Myers wraps the whole production in the score's sparkling percolations, Rossini's accelerating crescendos particularly well-balanced. The physical production is one of the company's finest. The pastel sets (from Virginia Opera), especially the dazzling, multitiered ballroom, are fine backdrops to the humorously elegant costumes supervised by Ashli Arnold and the riotous stepsisters' wigs designed by Martha Ruskai.
Opera Company of North Carolina has set the bar high for future productions, while fully confirming its regional-level credentials.