Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performs for the last time at the Royal Opera House in Donizetti’s La fille du régiment…
Long have we heard mumblings about Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s retirement (and hushed them up in denial, obviously) but the New Zealand soprano has stated that her current turn at the Royal Opera House will, most likely, be the last time she appears on the operatic stage. (She refuses to use the R word). With a cameo as La Duchesse de Crackentorp, Te Kanawa is using Donizetti’s comic opera, La fille du régiment (the first she ever saw at Covent Garden in the 1960s) to let her hair down and play what is practically a pantomime dame with an aria thrown in.
Donezetti’s tale is based around the young Marie, a waif found on the battlefield as a baby and raised by the regiment, only to find that she is, in fact, of noble birth. Her long-lost mother henceforth tries to marry her off appropriately, regardless of Marie’s love for a charming and exceedingly polite Tyrolean chap, who had only just won the approval of her many fathers. Cue a lot of silliness. Laurent Pelly’s production, staged in the First World War era, squeezes as many laughs out of the audience as might feasibly be possible. Whilst some people might tire of such charades, this isn’t big, heavy Wagner, nor a heart wrenching tragedy, La fille du régiment is an opera comique and Pelly embraces that with vigor, imagination and a delightfully daft sense of humour which has previously led him to cast Dawn French and Ann Widdecombe as the formidable duchess, typically a non-singing and barely-speaking role. That should give you a fair idea of it.
The part has been specially adapted for Te Kanawa to include Puccini’s ‘O fior del giorno,’ from Edgar (appropriately random but lovely to hear from her nonetheless). Although this is not a swansong as such, it is wonderfully entertaining to watch an opera superstar bowing out of life on the main stage in such entertaining – and ridiculous – form. Known for her natural dignity, Te Kanawa instantly has the aura of nobility but this reductio ad absurdum turns her into the most preposterous of fussy duchesses: head cocked to look down on the servants, suitably swishy walk, hands flouncing everywhere – Te Kanawa is clearly having a whale of a time. With angry but eloquent French dialogue occasionally interspersed with English exclamations of ‘Don’t be stingy with the Dom Perignon,’ ‘old bat’ or, ‘go away!’, Te Kanawa can afford to blow off some steam, having enjoyed the most glittering of singing careers, including famously performing at Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding in 1981.
Supporting Te Kanawa in this production is Polish contralto Ewa Podleś, who embodies something between Wilde’s Lady Bracknell and Mrs Slocombe from Are You Being Served? as Marie’s aristocratic mother. Alongside her steward, sung by Donald Maxwell (both of whom are possessed of voices as stout as their rather portly figures) they make quite the comedy duo. There is a fine performance from Pietro Spagnoli as the sergeant of the regiment but the triumph comes from Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez as Marie’s young lover; triggering near riotous applauds after each aria, and the audience breaking into foot-stamping at the curtain call. Flórez is a true tenor of might with a voice you could listen to forever, without any of the piercing crassness that would otherwise make nine top Cs so bloody painful on the ear. Yes, nine.
The lead role is undertaken by Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi, who put in an admirable effort this week for someone just recovering from a virus. How she leapt about with all of Marie’s tomboyish oomph and energy whilst feeling under par, I have no idea. It’s little wonder she crumbled to the floor whilst taking her bow but, thankfully, signs of her illness were not audible in her voice and rendered Director of Opera Kasper Holten’s announcement prior to curtain-up touching but unnecessary.
Unsurprisingly, there was a huge buzz in the air and, although it is saddening to imagine no more Kiri Te Kanawa on the Royal Opera House stage, it is a privilege for so many to be able to share such a jubilant production with her. Having not performed at the Royal Opera House for 17 years, this last appearance brings Te Kanawa’s operatic career to the most joyous of closes whilst also marking her 70th birthday. In reference to her recent appearance on Downton Abbey, Jim Carter, who stars in the series as Carson the butler, presented her with a cake on-stage to mark the occasion. They most definitely don’t make ‘em like her any more.
La fille du régiment at the Royal Opera House, playing until 18th March 2014. For more information, visit the website.
