THE zigzags of the French Revolution would deter most operatic composers. But Umberto Giordano could not resist the challenge in his pièce de résistance Andrea Chénier. The director’s task is to straighten out the tangled web of this fascinating dramma istorico.

Annabel Arden’s singular achievement in this new production is to cut to the quick and clarify the complexities. Her three principals, as well as their persecutors, are trenchantly delineated and distractions minimised. The effect is enthralling.

Joanna Parker’s tasty costumes are firmly of the period, though her mobile multi-level stairways speak of more modern intent. They cleverly allow a seething flood of humanity, and convert easily into barricades or courtroom. Peter Mumford’s lighting is equally apt, reflecting the ebb and flow of emotion. The first and last acts begin with extracts from the real Chénier’s poetry, timely reminders of an actual artistic life cut short in its prime.

Pivot of the action is Robert Hayward’s servant Gérard. His personal crisis comes in ‘Nemico della patria’, where he reflects on the triple-bind of his ‘slavery’ – to the aristocracy, his country, and his feelings for the aristocratic Maddalena. Here Hayward is at his doleful best, caught in the cross-fire of his passions. His robust baritone in top form, he manages to make an essentially unappealing character remarkably sympathique.

Rafael Rojas certainly takes his vocal chances as Chénier, notably in his Improvviso, tearing strips off the toffs for their heartless disregard of the poor. His tenor is rock-solid throughout his range, though he remains physically impassive until his final duet with Annemarie Kremer’s Maddalena. Both keep something in reserve for this irresistibly electric finale. Their little caper of ecstasy in anticipation of the scaffold is a typical Arden touch.

Kremer earlier gives a superbly sustained and gently nostalgic ‘La mamma morta’, keeping her powder dry until its thrilling closing bars. Elsewhere she is a touch inclined to push her tone, though staunchly reliable. Supporting roles are equally strongly filled. Fiona Kimm doubles spectacularly as an imperious Contessa and an impoverished grandmother, Daniel Norman as pompous abbot and slithery spy, and Dean Robinson as jovial compère and terrifying prosecutor.

Oliver von Dohnányi keeps his orchestra finely attuned to Giordano’s nuances, steering well clear of sentimentality and maintaining a taut rein at big moments. Obbligato cello in Act 3 is especially silky. The superb chorus is everywhere involved, adding vital atmosphere but never distractingly. Rarely does an opera become greater than the sum of its parts. But Arden presides over a masterpiece of teamwork. The four acts unfold relentlessly like a giant crescendo.

 

Opera North in Andrea Chénier, Leeds Grand Theatre. Box office: 08448 482700 or leedsgrandtheatre.com. Further performances: February 2, 20 and 24, then on tour; more details at operanorth.co.uk