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31/08/2004 Puccini's Gianni Schicchi - another triumph at the Proms
Listening to any opera for the first time on radio or CD without knowing the plot or having the libretto (and a translation) to hand can be a bewildering experience. When you can't see what's happening on the stage or follow what's being said or sung, you're relying entirely on the voices and the band to communicate plot, mood and character. It's usually very hard to keep paying attention. So I approached the live broadcast of last Thursday's Prom concert - Puccini's short comic opera, Gianni Schicchi, by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera - with low expectations. Especially as the overly-sentimental Puccini is not my favourite composer. No need to worry. The evocative writing, and the all-round excellence of this semi-staged performance, made for a riveting concert, even when experienced, as here, for the first time. The London Philharmonic Orchestra delivered a near-perfect score. The singers brought out the comedy - and the pathos - with distinction. Sally Matthews' Lauretta delivered on the big aria from the opera, O mio babbino caro - one of the most popular tunes in the repertoire - with appropriate grandeur and a tone of wheedling manipulation that will be familiar to fathers of daughters. Alessandro Corbelli's title role will long linger in the memory, too. Great music, beautifully played and sung. But then that's been true of so many Proms concerts this summer.
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