Past Production Reviews
12There was much to commend in conductor Timothy Redmond’s rendition of the music, with lush, luxuriant string playing from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under conductor Timothy Redmond, wonderfully convey Puccini’s sweeping, almost cinematic score.
Amy Ní Fhearraigh as Jemmy, Tell's son, was quite the show-stealer both in her acting and her vocal agility. The iconic apple scene was comically done with the apple covering all of her head while her fear and worry of her father imprisoned were perfectly depicted.
the evening was seized by Konu Kim's astonishing, ringing Arnold, a great, concentrated physical performance expressed through fabulous vivid and fearless singing, including a ten-second top C and some real distilled angst as Tell and Walter worked him over to rouse his patriotism.
Ní Fhearraigh’s Elisabetta was a splendidly drawn character. She was aggressive, regal, jealous, and easily provoked, but there was always an underlying sense of irony, magnified by her costumes, which emphasized the fact that Elisabetta was always aware she was playing a role. In her first meeting with Maria, her horse riding attire with its black leather latex trousers, red leather gloves, and whip were very much suggestive of a dominatrix, which Ní Fhearaigh successfully played up to the full, yet without ever crossing over into farce. Her gestures and bold facial expressions were wonderfully managed, and the power relationships she established with the other characters were convincing. Likewise, she produced an equally impressive singing performance. Recitatives were confidently and clearly articulated, with well-placed emotional accents and flashes of color, which successfully fleshed out her character. She attacked her arias and the ensemble scenes with real energy, making full use of her versatile and powerful voice which soared effortlessly above the orchestra and chorus, in what were convincing and expressively fine performances.
Masterson proves to be the star, a delight, and everything Norina needs to be – charming and coquettish, young and energetic, game for anything
It is a treat to hear an opera played and sung as well as it is tonight, and then to go out into the summer night – it’s like being at an opera festival. Add to this Puccini’s ‘Tosca’, with its bold gestures, doomed lovers, and colourful score, and it makes for an enticing prospect. From the beginning, the first thing to notice is the vivid sound of the orchestra itself, full of rich and vibrant colour. Past problems with the acoustic here seem a pale memory, or maybe Puccini’s orchestration suits this space better than earlier music. Conducted by newcomer Nil Venditti, she leads an all-female musical direction team (including chorus master and assistant conductor), possibly a first for this company, and a fact worth celebrating alone.
From its opening overture, Puccini's music for Tosca seethes with cinematic sweep. Like a Hollywood epic, or old time serial, it brims with tension and suspense. Except Hollywood wasn't around in 1900 when Tosca first premiered. Rather it was Puccini who would come to influence cinema's musical conventions, especially the wild heights of melodrama. Which conductor Nil Venditti and the Irish National Opera Orchestra take unbridled delight in, ensuring Irish National Opera's Tosca is a stirring, passionate production.
Amy Ní Fhearraigh, noticeably taller than Mangan, acted her part superbly. Her silky tones entwined beautifully with that of Mangan in the Evening Prayer. Both Ben McAteer and Miriam Murphy made much of their roles, Murphy possessing impeccable comic timing. Her hasty return for her chicken nuggets and her quarter pounder burger before searching for her children was as hilarious as it was anachronistic.
World-Premiere - THE FIRST CHILD by D. Dennehy & E. Walsh - NURSE Irish National Opera & Landmark Productions at Dublin Theatre Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "...delivered by ... a sublime Eric Jurenas as NURSE. To call ERIC JURENAS a revelation is to understate it considerably , not so much singing as channeling angels..." // ".... NURSE gesungen von einem überragenden Eric Jurenas .... Eric Jurenas eine Offenbarung zu nennen, wäre eine maßlose Untertreibung. Er singt nicht, er leitet Engel an..." (Theaterreview) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ... while the unique timbres of singers...and, in particular, Eric Jurenas as NURSE provide a powerful reminder of the voice as instrument..." // ".... das besondere Timbre der einzelnen Stimmen, vor allem aber das von Eric Jurenas als NURSE war eine eindringliche Erinnerung an die Stimme als Instrument..." (The Irish Times) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "... and the NURSE sung by countertenor Eric Jurenas, is musically brilliant..." // "... und der KRANKENPFLEGER wurde von Countertenor Eric Jurenas brillant gesungen..." (Irish Independant)
Notable smaller parts include the young Irish mezzo Carolyn Holt as the voice of Antonia's dead mother
Carolyn Holt as the voice of Antonia's mother stood out with her rich and seductive mezzo-soprano
