★★★★★
What an utterly exhilarating evening of singing this proved to be. Roberto Devereux finds Donizetti at his dazzling bel canto best, souping up faux-Tudor history with gorgeous melodies and bravura vocal displays. Not obvious territory, you might think, for an essentially amateur set-up. Yet the venerable Chelsea Opera Group displayed its knack for great casting, with a knockout line-up of professional soloists. I would have been happy to hear them at Covent Garden, let alone Cadogan Hall on a quiet Sunday.
Roberto Devereux is, in Donizetti’s words, an “opera of the emotions”: think a love triangle, treachery and treason, involving Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex. And, boy, did the emotional truths hit home here. Helena Dix was an unforgettable Elizabeth, stalking imperiously on to the stage in a theatrical red and silver dress. Yes, this was a concert performance, but that didn’t rule out acting. Every flicker of feeling showed on the soprano’s face, every passing mood was communicated: revenge, remorse, rage. And that’s before I even mention the sheer control, acrobatic agility and apparent fearlessness of her singing, whether she was spinning beautiful lines, terrifying her court (and audience), or hitting stratospheric notes with laser accuracy. This was a phenomenal performance.
Caught in Elizabeth’s web of power, the rest of the cast excelled. Joining at late notice, the tenor Eleazar Rodríguez more than proved himself in the title role — nowhere more so than in Devereux’s heartfelt soliloquy when awaiting his fate at the Tower of London. Catherine Carby was poised and moving in her plight as Sara, Duchess of Nottingham, her voice always expressive, while Julien Van Mellaert’s Duke of Nottingham was a deliciously scheming villain.
The conductor Gary Matthewman whipped up the Chelsea Opera Group’s lively amateur orchestra and chorus with sure dramatic instincts. Yet as the Queen reached her inevitable downfall in the opera’s final throes, it’s clear that this was Dix’s night. Applause and cheers really did erupt from the audience. Safe to say, I wasn’t the only person bowled over by this Roberto Devereux.
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