WNO's Suor Angelica e Gianni Schicchi
Despite the unfortunate news of a reduction in their funding this year, the Welsh National Opera defy their boundaries and pull at our heartstrings once more with their dual showing of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. In their versions of two out of three from Puccini’s Il Tabarro, the two operas could not contrast further. Each roughly 40 minutes in length, once you’ve finished dabbing your eyes from Suor Angelica’s heartbreaking performance, you’re left to dwell in a brief interval before being swept back up into the mischief of Gianni Schicchi. WNO prove they won’t go down without putting up a fight, and although different in theme, both scenes ultimately have the audience enraptured.
With an intimate introduction, Natalya Romaniw graces the washed out sets as Angelica, a woman forced to live in a nun convent for seven years after a child out of wedlock, anxiously waiting to hear of family. Even in the slowest of scenes, the audience were witness to the Sisters punishments, and heartfelt to Angelica’s longing.
The staging couldn’t have been utilised more perfectly; a drab stairway and hall spotlighted in clinical white. A large portrait of the Virgin; a pair of eyes, detached from the audience, yet still always watching. As said by a nun, “desires are the flowers of the living,” and this performance goes beyond passing muster.
While Reverend Mother casts us into darkness, Angelica’s Aunt (Anne Mason) makes a surprise appearance. Clad in fur and jewels, her Aunt clusters us with the earlier gossiping nuns, wondering just how unfortunate Angelica’s situation is, in lieu of her family’s fortune. Despite being sat at a dainty table, Anne took directorship over the stage, her burgundy attire staining the grey backdrop in hopelessness as we are left to mull over one word: penance.
Martin André, conductor, leads the orchestra to heavenly heights, guided by Romaniw’s pitch-perfect operatic arias as she takes a solo stance on stage. She removes her wimple, takes to her knees, and begs to see her son again. It is a raw, unfurling tapestry that leaves you feeling incredibly numb before closing with the visual of Angelica reuniting with her son at last.
After the curtain falls, and most have risen from their seats to give a standing ovation, an interval creates a pause between the two operas and the second show starts with an opening as grand as any, with bright scenery, garish clothing and quirky sets. In sunrise-typical colours; yellows, pinks, blues, we see Dario Solari’s Gianni charm the crowd and the cast, convincing a selfish family he can solve their issues and ensure their dead relative’s possessions will be spread amongst them equally.
Together, they drink, laugh, grumble and sing in harmony, an electric performance that has the audience falling in love with Gianni. In walks Gianni’s daughter Lauretta (Haegee Lee) who puts on a stunning performance in her memorable green shoes, singing a beautiful rendition of "O Mio Babbino Caro" that perhaps stole the limelight from Solari. Her voice is sirenic as it drowns us in effortless soprano glory, and it’s a moment we aren’t quick to forget.
After the incredible ensemble of tossed papers and books, bodies stuffed into wardrobes, the desperate need to be loved, the performance comes to an end. Once more, the audience are on their feet and dreaming of Florence. A perfect double bill that, put together, pulls apart your expectations and pools them into an ending of infinite bittersweetness.
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