My final night at the opera this season began with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on 21st October at 7.15pm. And what a way to spend my final evening at the opera. In this production, we are treated to an adaptation which is by turns unexpected, delightful and tragically dramatic.
The show begins quite literally before it begins, with the 'company' wandering into the rehearsal room on stage. Charles Edwards, here fulfilling the roles of both director and stage/lighting designer really sits the opera, in quite an ingenious way, into a very unified seasons (with staging designed by him also throughout). Clever manipulation of the language the performance is sung in, the actual house lights in the opera house itself and the 'backstage' feel to the whole performance (fitting perfectly in with the narrative) creates not only a very immersive hour and a quarter, but also adds a great and innovative twist to the experience of the opera itself. In a great move, Edwards sets Canio's explanation of the plot of the opera within the opera (yes, another one!) in a 'model showing', mirroring Opera North's own processes when putting on an opera. This is a dangerous line to tread but was done exceptionally well, with the opera gently poking fun at itself while managing to be wholly effective in doing so.
In fact, this opera essentially unifies the whole season thematically, featuring genuinely funny moments as well as exciting, romantic or tragic moments exactly when is appropriate. To be able to pull that off on its own is an incredible feat but within the context of five other operas to create a 'series arc' both visually and thematically really is impressive.
A huge bravo goes to the cast of this one. Elin Pritchard as Nedda especially, who injects a very human quality into her performance whilst simultaneously performing the music beautifully. Peter Auty seemed strained as Canio at times, but didn't let this get in the way of the intense emotion he was so effective at portraying throughout. Furthermore, under Tobias Ringborg, the Orchestra of Opera North were able to pull of an extremely slick performance.
Overall, this is an incredibly well considered and executed production of an exceptional opera. One I'd highly recommend seeing if you get the chance, as it's the embodiment of what this season and ultimately Opera North is about... more literally than you might think (except for, you know, all the death).
★★★★★
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