Don Quichotte – review

First staged in 1910, Massenet's "heroic comedy" is a late piece, premiered less than two years before the composer's death at the age of 70. It boasts meaty roles for bass and baritone, playing respectively the elderly knight of the sorrowful countenance and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza. In this concert performance by Chelsea Opera Group under the baton of Renato Balsadonna, the inseparable pair comprised two senior artists, Robert Lloyd and Donald Maxwell.

Their savoir faire combined to make an unbeatable duo. Lloyd has enjoyed a long and distinguished career that has encompassed virtually every bass role worth singing. Even if his voice inevitably lacks the full power and richness it once did, his understanding of the character, both in detail and overview, was comprehensively supported by an instrument that retains remarkable resilience and expressive variety. His portrayal of the preposterous yet admirable courtly knight was superbly thought through, vividly capturing his grandeur and despair.

Donald Maxwell matched him ideally. Larger than life in his comic approach, yet genuinely touching in his concern for Don Quixote's dignity and safety, he dovetailed his performance immaculately with Lloyd's. Justina Gringyte's Dulcinée could have done with more flesh on her tone, but her carefree manner gave her a knowing charm. No one else in the piece gets much of a look-in, though Thorbjørn Gulbrandsøy made an impact as one of Dulcinée's vapid young admirers. Adding a few well-considered physical moves, the cast at times made the performance feel semi-staged; the bandits kneeling with contrition as they returned a stolen necklace was a nice touch. Balsadonna conducted a spirited account of what is one of Massenet's best scores, its delicacy and distinction rising above a few minor blips in ensemble.

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