Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970)
La Dueña (1949)
Don Jerome – Richard Van Allan (bass)
Don Ferdinand – Adrian Clarke (baritone)
Donna Luisa – Susannah Glanville (soprano)
Duenna – Claire Powell (mezzo)
Don Antonio – Neil Archer (tenor)
Donna Clara – Ann Taylor (mezzo)
Don isaac – Eric Roberts (baritone)
Opera North Chorus, English Northern Philharmonia/Antoni Ros Marbà
rec. 1996, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK
Premier recording
Chandos CHAN9520(2) [2 CDs: 188]
The Duenna was a labour of love for composer Roberto Gerhard. He composed the work for a BBC radio broadcast in 1949 but despite the composer making significant revisions to the opera during the 1950s it did not receive a staged performance until 1992 in Madrid. There is some confusion regarding the correct title of the opera. As the composer wrote it to his own English libretto the title should be The Duenna, despite this Chandos muddies the waters here by giving it the title La Dueña.
Gerhard’s music for this opera is a mixture of the melodious surrounded in atonality; this comes as no surprise because Gerhard had Arnold Schoenberg as a teacher. However one sums it up, the music possesses a thick orchestral tapestry of sound that is frequently permeated by Spanish Dance rhythms. There is no doubt in my mind that this score has several sections of dazzling brilliance, mostly coming from the orchestra. Gerhard shows himself to be an especially effective orchestrator. It is a strange episode of chance that both Gerhard and Sergei Prokofiev were occupied with writing an opera based on the same comedy by Sheridan (also called The Duenna) during the early 1940s. Having heard this opera and Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery it is clear that while both operas have faults, especially with pacing, Gerhard’s Duenna is the more musically interesting of the two.
Chandos have provided a very clear recording with a sumptuous acoustic for these Sevillians to plot and cavort in. This cast is a group of singers who consistently prove themselves to be more than capable for their tasks. Susannah Glanville and Neil Archer are a very appealing pair of young lovers. Glanville’s soprano soars with a little too much vibrancy at times but this does not overly affect the success of her portrayal of the ingénue. Archer, on the other hand, is pure perfection as Antonio, his voice is a heady sounding, buoyant and well-articulated tenor who keeps his words admirably clear. Claire Powell makes a very well-characterized contribution as the Duenna. Her tone is always interesting and not the plumy, over-aged sound one might expect to hear. Ann Taylor is a soprano who has an appealing catch in her tone, which adds colour to the character of Donna Clara. Adrian Clarke uses his well-schooled baritone of exceptional quality to flesh out Don Ferdinand. He too he shows off some admirable diction.
Eric Roberts is a solidly convincing Don Isaac, who bears the brunt of everyone’s scheming. Richard Van Allan is a suitably boorish Don Jerome, although I fear his part goes on for too long and is one of the flaws inherent in this opera. Among the lesser singers Paul Wade’s strenuous-sounding top is something of a trial to get through as Father Paul.
There is no doubt that the real star of this opera is the orchestra, with its constantly shifting meters and vibrant dance rhythms. Conductor Antoni Ros Marbà tackles this score with sensitivity while maintaining an admirable level of colour and style throughout. The interludes between the scenes are for the most part brief but very attractive. One of my favorite moments in the opera occurs when the Duenna attempts to beguile Don Isaac while in disguise as the younger Donna Luisa; she is accompanied by a very sensuous-sounding Habanera. It is moments such as this highlight that make several parts of The Duenna seem to rise above the occasional longeurs of the score. This is truly an opera that should not be neglected and deserves the occasional revival.
Mike Parr
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Other cast
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Lopez – Jeremy Peaker (actor)
Maid – Deborah Pierce (actor)
Servant – Daniel Owen-Lewis (actor)
Gypsy – Denise Mulholland (soprano)
Two brethren of Deadly Sin – Stephen Briggs (tenor), Bruce Budd (baritone)
