The orchestra of the Swiss Romandy is conducted by the charismatic Stefano Montanari, who also improvises on the pianoforte (hammerklavier), a type of historical piano, occasionally, in between conducting during the opera Anna Bolena. This production is traditional, which is rather unusual for the Geneva theater, which mostly stages director-driven operas, transforming classical works into highly modern interpretations. The leading roles are performed by French sopranos Elsa Dreisig and Stéphanie d’Oustrac, coming from families of musicians and composers, as well as the Italian baritone Alex Esposito and the Uruguayan tenor Edgardo Rocha.
The operas Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux benefit significantly from the storyline, and the chosen voices suit their characters. In Maria Stuarda, however, the voices did not meet expectations. The main character is a mezzo-soprano, which is atypical for bel canto operas. It was difficult to listen to the main character Maria, who sang throughout the opera at half voice; presumably, the singer had vocal difficulties that evening, because in the next part, Roberto Devereux, she sang well.
Performing six shows over two weeks is a titanic effort by the vocalists that deserves praise; keeping three operas of almost three hours each in mind requires immense preparation, and performing them every other day on stage demands physical and psychological endurance.
Elsa made a great impression in all operas; everything was sung flawlessly. The role of passionate lovers suited the temperament of the tenor, who skillfully portrayed the characters of his heroes on stage. Special mention should be made of the Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Olena Lezer, who performs the page Smeton in the first part of the trilogy, demonstrating professionalism and a rich vocal timbre.
Despite their relatively young age, the vocalists demonstrate excellent bel canto technique, and their acting is captivating. The orchestra of Swiss Romandy, under the direction of Stefano Montanari, perfectly accompanies and supports the singers.
The directorial decisions are quite simple and standard. Episodes that stood out from the context include the scene “the page’s self-love under the blanket” while observing a portrait of the queen in the first part of the trilogy, and people with cameras at the end of the second part — before the execution of Maria Stuarda. It was unclear why these elements were added, as they did not correspond to the overall production. In Roberto Devereux, everything was impeccable and organic.
The opera sets are similar: in the background — nature, forest, trees. A leitmotif across all productions includes characters who have only an emotional influence on the development of the plot — a little girl (representing childhood memories, hints of the heroine’s sentimentality, innocence, and purity) and an elderly woman (as a symbol of wisdom, a look back into the past from the perspective of lived experience).
In the production of Roberto Devereux, the familiar sets from previous parts are reused, which succinctly ties everything into a single story. On stage, we see an aging Elizabeth I, whereas in the first part she was still a child, and in the second — a brave, warlike, and strict ruler. On both sides of the stage, screens display a portrait of Elizabeth, showing changes in facial expressions and mimics — her inner emotions, which she has to hide from everyone throughout her life.
Thus concludes this year’s opera season in Geneva, with the premiere of the final part of Donizetti’s trilogy.