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Friday, November 5, 2004
Atlanta Opera: “Don Giovanni�
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPERA REVIEW “Don Giovanni�
BY SUSAN ELLIOTT For the Journal-Constitution
It was hardly business as usual Thursday, opening night of the Atlanta Opera’s “Don Giovanni.� Earlier that day, news had leaked out of William “Fred� Scott’s resignation after two decades at the company’s artistic helm; would it affect his behavior in the pit, one wondered, leading Mozart’s most popular evergreen?
Certainly not that an observer could tell. Indeed, once the eye and the ear adjusts to opera-as-arena-artform in the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, this “Don,� looks and sounds as tame and traditional as such perennial faves come. Tastefully directed by Nicolette Molnar, with sets borrowed from the New Orleans Opera, the less-is-more staging never gets in the way of Mozart’s infectious score, with its bounty of small-and large-ensemble musical gems and Da Ponte’s wink-and-a-nod libretto.
The Don is of course an absolute cad, claiming to love wine, women, and song, but hard-pressed to take anything seriously, save himself. Most of the opera tells of his sly flirtations, moving from one unsuspecting conquest to the next, mercilessly breaking hearts and even murdering along the way — all in pursuit of his own pleasure. (These days, we’d call him a sex addict.) In the end, however, the “evil doer meets an evil end.�
Musically, Scott maintained a persistent lilt in the Don’s step, abetted by attentive playing in the pit and the crisp harpsichord continuo of Craig Kier, situated stage level (right) to accompany the various recitatives. What was missing was variety of musical expression and, though the orchestral ensemble was tight, coordination between stage and pit was sometimes rocky.
With so many vocal ensembles, well-matched voices are key to this opera’s success; Scott seems to have opted for blend over individual star power. That said, Kelley Nassief successfully essayed Donna Anna’s full range of emotions through her exceptionally fine soprano — bell-like in its clarity at the top, richly textured in its mid-range.
As the hapless Leporello, the Don’s servant, Philip Cokorinos was a delight, his darkly hued bass easily filling the hall. He was a good match for Dean Peterson’s Giovanni – the two play off each other with a natural esprit de corps. Their Act 2 trio, where Leporello, disguised as his master, woos Donna Elvira, mouthing Giovanni’s melodious lies of devotion, is one of the evening’s comic highpoints.
Brenda Harris was a strong and sturdy Donna Elvira, and Kitt Reuter-Foss was appropriately flouncy as Zerlina. As Don Ottavio, tenor Don Bernardini tended to bleat, but his ensemble singing was solid; Jeff Morrissey sang Masetto, and Stefan Szkafarowsky, in his company debut, was not quite as commanding a Commendatore as one might have hoped for.
Lighting designer Kenneth Yunker convincingly morphs Constantin Kritikos’s single-set unit into various courtyards, ballrooms, and cemeteries — a truly artful demonstration of maximum results from minimal means.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. 3 p.m. Sunday. $19-$139. Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. 404-881-8885; www.atlantaopera.org
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