The Tales of Hoffmann
June 2015
RNCM Manchester
What stands out as the most impressive factor of this production was the calibre of the singing amongst the principal players which was nothing short of an exceptional treat.
Robin played the distressed soul very convincingly and vocally was a delight too with his rich tone and control
David Palmer affably played Lindorf and Dappertutto giving a beautiful quality and drew me in to his performance with his opulent vocals. I liked how he’d given both of his characters a strong and intriguing sense of mystery.
Also quite mysterious was Laura Wood as Nicklausse who offered an excellent performance as a guide for both the audience and Hoffmann through the journey of the tales making sure we all stay on track.
Olympia is quite a difficult and slightly lonely role which was tackled by Heather Heighway. This is the perfect vehicle for a singer to show off their skills
Before I’d ever seen an opera, someone once told me; “You know you’re witnessing a good performance at an opera when a voice gets inside of you and takes control of your emotions”. I remembered being told exactly that whilst witnessing Lorna Rushton perform. Lorna does indeed have an incredibly powerful instrument which certainly does make the audience sit up and pay attention to her.
Other highlighting performances were Helen Sharpe who gave an air of innocence as Giulietta, Arron Long demonstrated a confident vocal in the Bar scene, Eric Cymbir as Spalanzani was wonderfully eccentric and John Elliott who kept popping up as several cameos throughout the production was a joy, though his triumph had to be Frantz.
The orchestra, under the very capable direction of Juan Ortuño, was so delicate, it made a refreshing change for me to enjoy musicians playing so gracefully as I’m so used to hearing blaring brass and electric in so many of the musical theatre productions I see, this was a breath of fresh air.
I thank you for opening a new door for me and I look forward to your future performances.
Reviewed by: Kevin Proctor, NODA North West, District 1
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