Review: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA & PAGLIACCI, Birmingham Hippodrome, June 2016

To celebrate their 70th anniversary, Welsh National Opera returns to the Birmingham Hippodrome to perform Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci; the same operas the company performed for their debut performance. A novice opera-goer, I was intrigued to experience the opulence and spectacle of the WNO.

First on the bill is Cavalleria Rusticana, by Pietro Mascagni. Set on Easter Sunday, a traditional Italian village is sent into turmoil by love affair of Turiddu and Lola, who is married to wealthy carter Alfio. A peasant girl, Santuzza, is in love with Turiddu but, after he betrays her, she reveals the whole story to Alfio and Turiddu's mother, Mama Lucia. Once the secret is out in the open, the story hurtles to a devastating conclusion when Alfio's men murder Turiddu, leaving the village in shock and Santuzza devastated.

The attention to detail in WNO's Cavalleria Rusticana is striking throughout the production. Michael Yeargan's designs are full of beautiful detail - from the gorgeous sunrise gauze to the multi-level, stone built Italian village - and it is difficult to believe they are now twenty years old. Although the production is just over one hour long, Howard Harrison's lighting design subtly reflects the passing of one whole day.

WNO's excellent chorus create a rich tapestry of detail in every scene, and must take full credit for bringing Cavalleria Rusticana (and indeed Pagliacci) to life. Every performer is fully engaged in the action, whilst small details (such as young choristers stealing a glass of wine, or women hanging out sheets to dry) transport the audience to rural Italy.

Camilla Roberts is simply stunning as Santuzza. Her beautiful voice brims with emotion, and she isn't afraid to sound rather coarse in order to convey Santuzza's distress and anger. The lead performers all acting with real clarity and feeling; special mention must go to Anne-Marie Owens who gives a subtle, heart-breaking interpretation of Mama Lucia.

This double bill is completed by Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Great excitement is caused by arrival of a troupe of clowns, led by Canio (the clown Pagliacci). As they prepare for a show that evening, Canio's wife Nedda secretly plans to run away with her lover Silvio. Another actor, Tonio, is in love with Nedda and, overhearing this plan, he fetches Canio, so that he will overhear his wife's betrayal. Silvio manages to escape, yet Canio prepares to expose the lovers during the performance. Breaking character, Canio asks Nedda for her lover's name and, when she refuses, he stabs her on stage. Silvio rushes to her, and Canio triumphantly kills him too.

Pagliacci opens with a prologue, yet here the parallels to traditional opera are abandoned. David Kempster dramatically appears through the curtains to tell us that we are about to see real life presented on stage; that the actors will bare their souls to the audience. Michael Yeargan's minimal design reflects this idea, as the stage is almost empty until a battered truck rolls into vision. The 1940s style costumes would have been contemporary at the time Paglicci was written, as though the actors were not really wearing costumes but their own clothes.

The circus style scenes are tremendous fun, including unicycing, juggling with fire and some highly skilled physical comedy. When Pagliacci's troupe present their evening performance, WNO expertly combine the simplicity with perfect comic timing and expert physical theatre.

Peter Auty gives an astounding, multi-layered performance as Canio, with his rich voice reflecting the clown's emotional turmoil. In a fit of rage, fighting to reach Nedda, he is powerful, almost shouting the lines. When preparing for his fateful performance, Canio's heart-wrenching solo speaks of the juxtaposition between the happy, buffoonish clown, and the devastated, vengeful husband. This solo is followed by a short pause, yet the audience remain silent, spellbound by Auty's stunning, emotional performance.

Meeta Raval is truly engaging as Nedda, with a bohemian sense of abandon in her carefree movement and gently vibrato voice. She portrays Nedda as a strong, modern woman with her confident stage presence, quick wit and resourcefulness.

These two operas are frequently performance together (affectionately known as Cav & Pag) because they are both examples of operatic verisimo, or realism. Rejecting the 19th century ideals of romance, nobility and chivalry, Cav & Pag give the audience a slice of real life, reflecting the love affairs and arguments that happen all over the world, at any time. Given that many contemporary drama, dance and musical theatre productions are now focusing on attainable, often working-class protagonists, Cav & Pag feel surprisingly and acutely relevant today. WNO are not only celebrating their 70th anniversary with a beautifully performance, richly presented piece of history. They are also cementing both the company's and opera's place as a relevant and powerful art form in 2016.

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