Theatre Review: La Donna del Lago
Of all the confused, ludicrous plots in opera, this must surely be one of the most confusing. It is not helped by the fact that two tenors and a contralto (in a ‘trouser’ role) vie for the love of the heroine; one of the tenors is the king of Scotland in disguise; and a civil war is raging and the heroine’s father is one of those rebelling against the king. However, it provided a vehicle for some of the most spectacular displays of coloratura singing that it has ever been my good fortune to experience, as well as possibly the best orchestral accompanying I have ever heard.
Conductor Michele Mariotti’s musicianship drew the very best one could ask for from both the Met Orchestra and the remarkably brilliant cast. While we were almost ‘drowned in semiquavers, trills and roulades’, everything was magnificently phrased, with sensitive dynamics, and wonderful colours from both stage and orchestral pit.
