L’Olimpiade, at Garsington Opera, Seven magazine review

Even a deluge of rain couldn't detract from this fine, outdoor performance of Vivaldi's Olympic opera

Going the distance: Emily Fons as Megacle in Vivaldi's 'L'Olimpiade'

So far, it’s been a bad month for country-house opera. Not on artistic grounds – on the contrary, Garsington Opera’s standards have reached a new high under Anthony Whitworth-Jones, who sadly departs as general director after this season – but purely on account of the weather, proof again that God doesn’t care very much for opera. Next season, one of the companies should venture Il diluvio universale, Donizetti’s opera about Noah’s flood, as a wager against the weather.

Yet Garsington is topical enough in its choice of L’Olimpiade, cleverly planned as the 2012 culmination of its Vivaldi opera cycle.

Its story hinges on an episode of cheating at the ancient Olympic Games, when the unathletic Cretan prince Licida, who needs to triumph in order to win the king’s daughter, persuades his champion friend Megacle to compete in his place. A plot of Baroque complexity threatens disastrous outcomes for everyone, but all contradictions and confused identities are eventually resolved.

It is testament to the quality of the performance and the work itself that the deluge on Garsington’s new pavilion at Wormsley did nothing to dampen enjoyment. One of Vivaldi’s finest operas, L’Olimpiade is an early setting (1734) of Metastasio’s frequently adapted libretto.

Its score mixes breathtakingly lyrical invention with all the exhilaration typical of the composer, and conductor Laurence Cummings balances these elements in a tightly paced performance.

David Freeman’s sure-footed production blends seriousness and wit. Ancient history is evoked in the giant statues (by Nick Elphick) that dominate the stage, and Lycra sportswear brings the action up to date. David Roger’s designs also use the landscaped setting to reflect the opera’s pastoral tone.

Two excellent countertenors dominate proceedings, with Tim Mead bringing warmth to his singing as Licida and Michael Maniaci supplying virtuosity as the prince’s tutor. Any gold medal, though, should go to Emily Fons for her stylish, burnished mezzo and lithe performance as Megacle.

This review also appeared in SEVEN magazine, free with the Sunday Telegraph.

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