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The Guardian
‘If there is anyone with the authority to know what drives the Don, it has to be Sir Thomas Allen, who has sung the role on countless occasions and now returns to his native north-east to pass on his wisdom in a venture that is part concert performance, part singers' nursery and part masterclass in the dark arts of seduction. Christopher Maltman - the outstanding young British baritone making his debut in the role - seems to have been handed a brief to be as mercurial as possible. Coupled with his widow's peak, penetrating eyes and wiry, mafioso charm, Maltman's performance suggests that the greatest baritone never to have sung the role may have been Frank Sinatra.
Maltman is ably supported by the Northern Sinfonia, one of the most daringly responsive Mozartian orchestras in the country, led by Thomas Zehetmair, who invests the score with thrilling intimacy and elasticity. Allen's directorial touches combine extreme economy with maximum impact - master and servant swap identities through a simple exchange of handkerchiefs, the cemetery is suggested by chorus members stiffening into bier-like poses. But the most telling gesture is the warmth with which Allen greets Maltman at the curtain call - an embrace which symbolises a great operatic tradition passing from one generation to the next.’
The Times
‘Even after going through the fires of hell, Don Giovanni is eternal, that we know. But when he appears at curtain call, embracing his successor, it certainly adds a frisson to the proceedings. When Sir Thomas Allen, one of the great Don Giovannis of our time, ran on stage to greet Christopher Maltman, the Don of the evening, a huge roar of applause rang round the Sage.
As one of the finest singing sons of the North East, there’s nothing Tom Allen likes better than to return to work with the young scholars of the Hexham-based Samling Foundation, where he has directed masterclasses for the past 11 years. Nothing, that is, apart from directing. Although he’s still far from retiring as a singer, Allen’s second career is surging forward: Samling Opera’s
Così in 2005, and this year Don Giovanni… With Thomas Zehetmair conducting, we’re pulled this way and that – as we should be. Anything could happen. And whatever does take place in this gripping evening of theatre happens entirely within the music as it surges through the voices and shapes the body language of these young singers. It’s a production on a shoestring, yet extravagant in its care: no sets, unfussy costumes and lighting design as concentrated as the action. Allen encourages his singers to use every stepped level, every angle, to suspend the audience’s disbelief.' |
