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work with the orchestra. Using the Brno (1907-8) version of the score (the critical edition published five years ago) rather than the 'improved' Kovarovic version which he conducted previously at Covent Garden, Haitink shaped an almost 'Classical' account- beautiful, yet muscular, and not too lush- that reached impassioned heights at the close of Act 2. Textures were meticulously yet naturally balanced. Peter Manning' violin solos deserve a rave review of their own. Mattila's Jenufa commands a prime position in the gallery of phenomenal portrayals she has made at Covent Garden, including Elisabeth de Valoi , Elsa, Chrysothemis and Lisa. To all of these she has brought her physical tage presence and glowing oprano, but there the similarities end: no other major soprano today takes more care over the detail of every character she plays, and here she caught Jenufa's unique mix of hurt and hopefulness. She has said before that her own upbringing in a close community in rural Finland has a bearing on how she approaches these pent-up Slavonic heroines-Katya is soon to be added to the listand here (even more than at Salzburg in the summer) you felt that her performance came from the heart. Dressed in the clothes of a simple country girl, she seemed frail when being taunted by the crowd, but possessed of inner strength as she tried hard to make things with Steva okay. There was deep, musical tenderness in her performance of the second act, with the soft singing of her prayer as impres ive as the way she rode the orchestral climaxes elsewhere. With her Jenufa striking sparks off Silja's Kostelnicka-and vice versa-this was explosive casting, and Silja gave one of her most searing performances, which is saying something. Her gaunt characterization was by turns harrowing and very human, for you ensed that this woman had her own tragic history and motivation. Whatever her age, Silja produced singing of remarkable power and (yes) beauty. Another portrayal came up to the Mattila-Silja level: Jonna Silvasti's strong and meaningful Laca, convincingly strange in Act J but later transform d by love, and sung in ringing voice. With a performance this powe1f ul, you could be forgiven for thinking that the production deserves to share the credit. Indeed, only the most uncharitable would not give the producer, Olivier Tambosi, ome credit for the Personenregie-the awkward di tances between character in Act 1 spoke of alienation- but he was also uncommonly fortunate with his cast (with the exception of Jerry Hadley's disappointing, sad-sack Steva, it was excellent, and included Eva Randova's notable Grandmother Buryjovka and Gail Pearson's bright Jano). A les er cast would have got lo tin the empty space of Frank Philipp Schlbssmann 's wooden set, which more than anything resembled a sauna undergoing conversion into a minimalist art gallery; there was no sense of the social milieu or of the community's claustrophobia. Described as 'new', the production (which originated in Hamburg in 1998) had one Big Idea: the ymbol of a giant rock, bulging pregnantly through the floor in Act l , an awkward, dominating presence (and visual reference for Jenufa's fevered vision) in Act 2 that was smashed to pieces by Act 3. Jen.ufa must be a gift to most producers, but Tambosi seemed caught between a rock and a hard place. JOH ALLISON The Barber of Seville Welsh National Opera at the New Theatre, Cardiff, October 1 Over a period of 16 years Gile Havergal's production of The Barber of Seville has had more than its fair share of revivals. Recent outings have been as vehicles for the 1520 Opera, December 200 I
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• WNO '.s revival of 'The Barber of eville : Paula Rasmussen 's Rosina with Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks as Alma viva and Mel Ulrich as Figaro mezzo Katarina Karneu and Guang Yang after their ucce e in the Cardiff inger of the World competition; thi time it wa back in the frame when financial con traint forced the company to abandon the projected 1l ritomo d' Ulisse in patria. Thi i a very busy production- a performance within a performance and the 18th-century equivalent of opera in the piazza- peopled with chara ter and caricature in the way the WNO choru doe o well. With Havergal him elf back to re tore glo , the en emble work wa indeed fast and furiou , n tably in the farcical finales when the action managed to span the whole width of Ru ell Craig' ricketylooking, multi-staged wo den caffolding. Yet too often the overall effect wa pedestrian. This wa pa1tly due to Robert David MacDonald' tran lation, which seemed a bit too W.S. Gilbert for 2001. And the con equent nece ity of achieving super-intelligible diction found the conductor, Antony Walker, unwittingly jeopardizing Ro ini' naturally park.ling flow. In hi Briti h debut, Mel Ulrich a Figaro wa fleet-footed and agile-voiced, but not a obviou ly quick-witted nor with quite the fla he of colour and brilliance needed to e tabli h beyond doubt the barber' controlling grip on proceeding . Andrew Mackenzie-Wick wore the di gui e of CountAlmaviva with ari tocratic and hi tri nic panache, but vocally he wa le ecure. Paula Rasmussen was a pert and vivacious Ro ina. She ha a warm, even-toned mezzo, but unfortunately her coloratura had none of the thrilling ring that mu t be the defining characteri tic of a di tingui hed interpreter of this role. Ro ie Hay grabbed the moment of glory Ro sini afford Berta, while the Don Ba ilio of Alan Opera, December 2001 1521

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• WNO '.s revival of 'The Barber of eville : Paula Rasmussen 's Rosina with Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks as Alma viva and Mel Ulrich as Figaro mezzo Katarina Karneu and Guang Yang after their ucce e in the Cardiff inger of the World competition; thi time it wa back in the frame when financial con traint forced the company to abandon the projected 1l ritomo d' Ulisse in patria.

Thi i a very busy production- a performance within a performance and the 18th-century equivalent of opera in the piazza- peopled with chara ter and caricature in the way the WNO choru doe o well. With Havergal him elf back to re tore glo , the en emble work wa indeed fast and furiou , n tably in the farcical finales when the action managed to span the whole width of Ru ell Craig' ricketylooking, multi-staged wo den caffolding. Yet too often the overall effect wa pedestrian. This wa pa1tly due to Robert David MacDonald' tran lation, which seemed a bit too W.S. Gilbert for 2001. And the con equent nece ity of achieving super-intelligible diction found the conductor, Antony Walker, unwittingly jeopardizing Ro ini' naturally park.ling flow. In hi Briti h debut, Mel Ulrich a Figaro wa fleet-footed and agile-voiced, but not a obviou ly quick-witted nor with quite the fla he of colour and brilliance needed to e tabli h beyond doubt the barber' controlling grip on proceeding . Andrew Mackenzie-Wick wore the di gui e of CountAlmaviva with ari tocratic and hi tri nic panache, but vocally he wa le ecure.

Paula Rasmussen was a pert and vivacious Ro ina. She ha a warm, even-toned mezzo, but unfortunately her coloratura had none of the thrilling ring that mu t be the defining characteri tic of a di tingui hed interpreter of this role. Ro ie Hay grabbed the moment of glory Ro sini afford Berta, while the Don Ba ilio of Alan

Opera, December 2001

1521

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