DOVE SIMMONDS SUMMERS PLAZAS PARRY - ADEVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO DVD

SKU/Barcode: 809478010050

England's Opera North pulled out all the stops for its premiere production of Jonathan Dove's opera, The Adventures of Pinocchio, captured in this 2009 Opus Arte DVD release. In the fascinating interviews included on the two-DVD set, the composer, librettist, conductor, and stage director emphasize their intent to engage audiences of all ages. Running over two and a half hours, the opera might seem to be a long stretch for children, but there is always so much going on musically or dramatically or scenically that it could well hold the attention of young audiences. The high standard of this production makes a strong case for the opera. With economy and elegance, the wonderfully clever sets, designed by Francis O'Connor, create a magical world that seamlessly shifts from the interior of Geppetto's hovel to a carnival to a frightening dark forest to a beach and eventually to the stomach of a whale. O'Connor also designed the picturesque costumes, which are almost all marvelously apt, fanciful, and historically appropriate. The performance could hardly be improved upon. As Pinocchio, Victoria Simmonds, a charismatic actor with a powerful, beautifully modulated mezzo-soprano, is on-stage for virtually the entire opera and is completely convincing. Dove has created juicy roles for his almost 20 soloists, many of whom take on multiple characters. Jonathan Summers as Geppetto, Graeme Broadbent in a variety of villainous roles, Allan Clayton as Lampwick, Mark Wilde as the Cat, and Carol Wilson as the Pigeon and Snail are all exceptionally fine. Standouts Rebecca Bottone as the Cricket and the Parrot, and James Laing as the Fox and the Coachman practically steal the show. Only Mary Plazas as the Blue Fairy disappoints with a lackluster coloratura and a bland stage presence. Both Carlo Collodi and the librettist Alasdair Middleton specify that the character appears in four distinct physical manifestations throughout the story, but O'Connor gives her a single unbecoming costume and director Martin Duncan does nothing to differentiate her appearances. Duncan's direction is otherwise mostly persuasive, exceptive that there is too much stylized gamboling and cavorting around. That affection could be a result of the demands of the score; Dove tends to repeat almost every phrase at least once, which can create dramatic dead space that needs to be filled up with something. Apart from that, he has a remarkably sure theatrical sense and seldom miscalculates in creating music that illuminates the actions on-stage or the emotions in the characters' minds. His musical language is tonal but he uses his materials in fresh and inventive ways and avoids the bland meandering lyricism that can afflict modern operas written in a conservative idiom, although he sometimes falls prey to derivative John Adams-isms. David Parry leads the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North in expert performances. Middleton's libretto, in rhyming couplets, is sometimes predictable, but he skillfully pares Collodi's story down to a fast-paced and moving narrative. This stellar production of an appealing work deserves the attention of fans of new opera.