Don Giovanni, Glyndebourne Festival Opera | reviews, news & interviews
Don Giovanni, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Don Giovanni, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
A polite romp about the bushes in a white DJ is not what you hope for
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/c8f29fc99996dfa78f964234a3f76283.jpg?itok=coCF2UxV)
It seems somehow wrong to come away from a Don Giovanni feeling a bit noncommittal about the whole thing. It’s the sort of opera that should raise you from your seat – that should fire and inspire – but this performance, directed by Jonathan Kent, never truly got off the ground.
Gerald Finley was a toff of a Don Giovanni, who wouldn’t have been out of place lounging across the Glyndebourne lawns and dragging off a lady or two to have a quick romp with in the bushes. Of course, we all know that Don Giovanni has his arrogant bounder side, but there has to be a bit more swagger, a bit more sex, a bit more inherent loutishness there too – I bet the larger part of the Don’s 1,003 Spanish conquests were from the equivalents of Magaluf and Torremolinos, and he wouldn't have got those wearing a white DJ. Finley’s rather preppy look suggested he’d be happier picking up freshers at Oxford.
As with the appearance, so with the voice. There’s a natural lightness to Finley’s voice that can be very attractive, but it didn’t do it for me last night – there just wasn’t the gravel there to grip as it might have done. In contrast, Leporello, played by Luca Pisaroni, was rather stylish in his haplessness, with a roguish air that was distinctly appealing and a tone that suited his more cagey character well. The other performers were all decent, but I wasn’t left rocked by any of them. Kate Royal was a disappointment as Donna Elvira, as was William Burden as Don Ottavio: the former seemed to have left her voice at home, the latter was unmemorably beige. Anna Samuil (Donna Anna) was considerably more gutsy, with a voice that carried much better than the others, and Anna Virovlanssky was pleasantly and cutely coquettish as Zerlina.
Underpinning this was the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, directed by Vladimir Jurowski. There were some pleasantly rich sounds emanating from the pit from time to time, and there was plenty of depth to be found in the playing, though it felt extremely serious - lacking in essential sparkle and wit. A number of timing issues when the orchestra was positioned around the stalls created the occasional aural equivalent of watching 3D television without the glasses.
The thing is, this Don Giovanni wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t brilliant, and you rather hope for brilliant at Glyndebourne. I’m not sure what they need to do to provide that extra zip and zing, but I’m sure it wouldn’t take much. Let’s hope they find it before the end of the run.
Add comment
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Opera
![Carmen (Rihab Chaieb) sets her sights on Don José (Evan LeRoy Johnson)](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Carmen%20Prom%203.jpg?itok=PW7rkthy)
![Lyricism wins over discussion: Sebastian Kohlepp (Flamand), Stephen Marsh (Olivier), Peter Rose (La Roche), conductor Alexander Soddy, Malin Byström (Countess) and Bo Skovhus (Count)](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Closing%20Concert-%20Capriccio%20%C2%A9%20Andrew%20Perry%2037-medium.jpg?itok=2IIwa-Ti)
![Réka Jónás, Lily de la Haye and Stuart Pendred in The Fabulist - cardinal sinning](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/3B9A2322-Edit.jpg?itok=uDXzVpKZ)
![Penny Sofroniadou, Verity Wingate and Hubert Zapiór in a scene from the Serebrennikov production](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Verity%20Wingate%2C%20Hubert%20Zapi%C3%B3r%20and%20in%20The%20Marriage%20of%20Figaro%20%C2%A9%20Jess%20Shurte%20051-medium.jpg?itok=BmjjQmvz)
![Shengzhi Ren as Oedipus](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Shengzhi%20Ren%20as%20Oedipus%20in%20Oedipus%20Rex%2C%20Edinburgh%20International%20Festival_%C2%A9JessShurte_015-medium.jpg?itok=TSnmHS1w)
![Not strictly ballroom: Les Jardin du Voix and Compagnie Käfig in The Fairy Queen](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/fq%20gen%202.jpg?itok=N2vla84-)
![Stuart Skelton as Tristan and Miina-Liisa Värelä as Isolde in Act 3](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Tristan%201.jpeg?itok=pnFGMENJ)
![The maestro composes: Constantine Akritides as Puccini](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Web-TheButterflyHouse-Credit-SteveGregson-132%20%281200x800%29.jpg?itok=vm22KyxW)
![Smoke signals: Clare Presland in 'Il Segreto di Susanna'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/ss%20sus%20fag_0.jpg?itok=Hmrn-W8p)
![Lucia Lucas outside The Dream Tent in Birmingham](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/AF_053_New_Year_Cast_%26_Rehearsal_BOC.jpg?itok=AZ21jes9)
![Stirring stuff: Roman Arndt as Ernani, with chorus, in Buxton International Festival’s production of the opera](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Roman%20Arndt%20as%20Ernani%20centre%20with%20chorus%20%282%29%20%281200x801%29_0.jpg?itok=-d-p2F-d)
![Katharina Kastening: 'the underlying message regarding the danger in female stereotyping is one that unfortunately persists in our societies'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Carmen%201.jpeg?itok=Dat42NmJ)
Comments
...
...
...