There's a fair bit of operatic history riding on that voice, that timbre, that presence. It was so good to hear this great veteran of the opera world recapturing some of that burnished middle-voice that made him such a household name. Though the vocal nuancing may be compromised by the passing years, the distinctive timbre remains untarnished. To hear it breaking the silence in the wake of that storm-tossed prelude, the very first voice we hear in the opera, was in itself worth the price of admission.
Their lustful farewell kiss could no more adequately have expressed what Pappano was unleashing from the orchestra at this point.And what can Placido Domingo have made of his Prom debut? Well, he more than anyone plainly fed on the waves of adoration coming in from the audience. Yet Act I, perhaps oversaturated with ideas, was a bit two-dimensional. The principals lacked punch, and the voices just wouldn't take off. Curnyn sometimes let the orchestra overbear, and was hamstrung by a nasty-sounding electronic harpsichord The chorus was fun, and stole it. Designed by Lez Brotherston, Act I is a glorious conceit: all greys, it has been shifted to post-war Salford, with smoking factory chimney and factory lasses escaping for a cigarette Even the witty tea bar, where Nemorino works, is grey It's a grey life, when you can't get your girl. Nicholas Sharratt plays Nemorino as a delicious no-hoper, with no chance of prising Katherine Wiles's bookish Adina from the tedious Belcore (James McOran Campbell).Christian Curnyn's conducting drew some beguiling string sounds, horn and bassoon sang, and it looked set to be an outstanding show.
There is an intimacy, and the sound is appealing. The company is an offshoot of Grange Park Opera and, make no mistake, this is one of the coming places for opera. It is detailed, well blocked, with countless natty touches for the small chorus. This year, Nevill Holt presented a slick new staging by Martin Constantine of L'Elisir d'amore. We owe it to David Ross, founder of Carphone Warehouse and restorer of Sir Thomas Nevill's 17th-century manor near Uppingham, that Nevill Holt, with its sweeping views of the Welland valley, has become one of the most idyllic settings for opera imaginable. For two years, shows have been staged in a large plastic bubble on the lawn; now, in the stable block, Ross has erected a 300-seat theatre. Sorry, St Kitts: your secret is out, and it looks like Wyclef Jean, for one, will be seeing you next year.Ronke Phillips is a reporter on ITV's 'London Tonight'. When I ask if the Fugees will get back together, he smiles and asks how much an album costs to buy in the UK "Well, start saving.
