Don Giovanni opera review: Musically faultless
This performance delivered on the score but lacked the dramatic pep to make the leap from concert hall to theatre
While opera in concert can often be exciting and refreshing by bringing music to the fore and having the orchestra take centre stage, there are some operas which really need full staging to make them ping. This performance is likely to lead viewers to believe Don Giovanni may be in the former category. Musically it was faultless, but there was just something extra missing to lift it from the concert stage and into the theatrical realm.
German-Romanian baritone Konstantin Krimmel gave a stylish performance as Don Giovanni, but didn’t display enough malevolence to be a convincing baddie. Michael Sumuel as his long suffering servant Leporello was more animated, conveying the character’s growing anxiety, and Clive Bayley, stepping in at the last moment as Il Commendatore was suitably spooky with his arresting bass. It was UK soprano Louise Alder though who was the only singer who truly dazzled, singing the role of Donna Anna with a fiery passion. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and chorus under the ever energetic direction of Maxim Emelyanychev did due justice to the score, but dramatically this was a performance that needed a bit more pep.
Don Giovanni reviewed at Usher Hall; picture: Andrew Perry.