Francesco Corti. Note the name. The Italian conductor made his UK debut last night with Scottish Opera, conducting the opening night of Madama Butterfly in the second revival of David McVicar's darkly atmospheric and intense production for the company of Puccini's opera.
Corti, in this repertoire at least, is something special and the supple, molten playing he secured from the Scottish Opera Orchestra was some of the best since Alex Gibson, who had an extraordinary ability to produce the searing emotionalism from Puccini's music that so many conductors fail to ignite.
Moreover, Corti provided for the cast a glowing, luminous and rock-solid orchestral backdrop to the drama, which seemed to draw from them special levels of concentration, even if Rebecca Nash's Butterfly, beautifully voiced in many respects, was a little restrained and lacking power in her middle and lower registers, and the reliable John Hudson's Pinkerton was hard-edged and a bit overbearing (though that went nicely with the cynical strain in McVicar's production, where money changes hands at a fearful pace).
The emotional palette Corti conjured from the orchestra also provided a wonderful framework for two superlative performances: from Harry Nicoll's rat-like, troublemaking Goro, and Jennifer Johnston's glorious portrayal of Butterfly's maid Suzuki, initially cool and distant, then heartbreakingly tender, then volcanic as she erupted at Goro's rumour-mongering.
The chorus, immaculately accompanied by the conductor, struggled to produce a single cohesive sound - the cost of the sacrifice of the company's full-time chorus, even though numerous former members featured in last night's ad hoc group.
But, though there is a lot of mileage left in McVicar's production, and the cast will settle into a good strong run of the opera, this debut by Corti was the most significant element of the night. You don't need to ask the band what they thought. You could hear it in every note they played. Scottish Opera is on the hunt for the right man. Corti, after just one night, should be in the frame.
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