OPERA / Notices : Don Giovanni - ENO, London Coliseum
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The ENO's Don Giovanni is back, still tepid. Jonathan Miller has long since left his 1985 production romping on alone. Philip Prowse's bricked-up grey towers spin and recombine, coolly chunky, and the black, gold and grey Spanish-Victorian costumes retain some freshness. But there is too much half-remembered routine. Donna Anna watches her father being killed, then walks over to his corpse and says: 'My father's in danger, we must help him.' Four lackeys shoulder their murdered master with practised nonchalance. Andrew Greenwood, relatively new to ENO, conducts. The opening on Thursday night sounded a bit unsynchronised but sweet and potentially shapely. Strengths in the casting included Peter Coleman-Wright's spruce but dangerous Don, excitingly in command of a voice that glided between seduction and high-coloured violence. Lesley Garrett returned as the definitive, grown-up, pure-voiced Zerlina. Linda McLeod was a stunning, fluent new Donna Elvira, and newcomers Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Glenn Winslade and Christopher Purves impressed as the Commendatore, Don Ottavio and Masetto. Also new, Helen Field's touching, natural Donna Anna had only some of the vocal credentials.
In rep to 5 Nov (071-836 3161)
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