Opera Review: Vanessa Wexford Festival Opera
Samuel Barber is best-known for his elegiac ‘Adagio for Strings’, the work of choice for so many poignant US state occasions. His Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Vanessa, was a hit when it premiered at the Met, in 1958. Despite the initial enthusiasm, it languished in obscurity until a revival at New York City Opera, in 2007, prompted a renewal of interest.
In Wexford, a handsome and engaging production, by Greek director, Rodula Gaitanou, recalls the picturesque 1950s movie world of Gordon Douglas. An excellent cast is headed by soprano, Claire Rutter, who transitions from a fragile Miss Havisham character to a vivacious leading lady, in full Doris Day-mode.
