Opera

Orlando

By Hugh Canning

“…Towers is clearly one of the most promising singers in his field at the moment…”

“…Ainslie, a very young South African with less ingratiating timbre, has bags of personal charisma, a shock of blond curls and a buffed, gym-fit physique, much exploited by Alessandro Talevi (director and set designer) and Cordelia Chisholm (costumes), who had him appearing for most of the opera either naked from the waist up or wearing a gauzy, see-through overcoat…”

“…The New Zealander Rebecca Ryan (Angelica) has a more imposing voice than the Portuguese Joana Seara (Dorinda), but the latter’s enchanting Mediterranean temperament brought the jilted shepherdess to life and easily stole the show from her colleague…”

“…Talevi’s production, essentially simple and faithful to the text, made clever used of his tilted ring-shaped set, with the tiny orchestra positioned at the centre of the action. Using projections, he made much of the idea that Orlando’s fate is ordained by the heavens and the heavenly bodies in particular (Zoroastro is a reader of signs and stars)…”