Kasper Holten left a mixed bag of productions behind at Royal Opera when he left in 2017, but the best of them - though not all my colleagues on The Arts Desk have agreed - is this Don Giovanni, now back for its latest revival.
Visually, the production is stunning. The set (designer Es Devlin) is a full-sized house, onto which videos are projected (video designer Luke Halls). The house rotates, and the projections follow, a high-tech effect that manages to keep the eye tricked for the entire length of the opera. The two storeys of the house create a double-tier set. The action typically takes place below, while ghostly apparitions of the Don’s previous conquests float around in the floor above. As does the Commendatore (Brindley Sherrratt), who is an almost continuous presence. The set fills in well for almost every scene setting – only the graveyard requires a leap of imagination.Revival director Jack Furness has only made a few changes to the action. Most significantly, Mozart’s silly moralising Epilogue has been put back in. When it was omitted, in previous revivals, the dramatic conclusion had much more power, especially as visualised by Holten and his team. One consequence of the high-tech approach is that interactions between the characters can sometimes seem to be replaced with the light show, but the cast for this new revival makes a strong case for all their bonds and enmities.
Erwin Schrott (pictured above) is impressive as the Don. He takes a relaxed approach, suave and ingratiating, and only rarely creepy or lecherous. That sets the tone for the entire performance, which becomes more expansive, with the drama unfolding through the music, rather than the impulsive actions of the title character. Vocally, Schrott is ideal, his tone broad and unforced, with plenty of character and variety. His recitatives are particularly impressive, often with an intimate spoken quality, but always beautifully projected. The rest of the cast is serviceable, with only a few standout voices. Roberto Tagliavini has a good voice for Leporello and a suitably dishevelled stage presence. There is little slapstick in this production, so no acrobatics for him, but Tagliavini still convinces. Among the ladies, Malin Byström (pictured below, with Erwin Schrott) stands out as Donna Anna. She has a classic Mozart voice, crystal clear, with an elegant tone and excellent diction – luxury casting, here or anywhere. Myrtò Papatanasiu (a last-minute stand in) was less convincing as Donna Elvira, her tone shrill and her upper register insecure. Leon Košavić is a bit wet as Masetto, his voice bland and underpowered. But he blends well with Louise Alder, who is suitably pure of tone for the role of Zerlina. Brindley Sherratt is hollow-sounding as the Commendetore, but he is a suitably imposing presence in the final scene.
The orchestra seemed under-rehearsed, with some ensemble problems in the strings and a lot of splits from the horns. Conductor Hartmut Haenchen gave a broad, Romantic reading of the score, with enough drama to keep the story rolling, but little sense of urgency. That approach chimed with Erwin Schrott’s relaxed reading of the title role – charming and elegant, and only occasionally revealing the dark forces beneath.