John Wilson displays a flair for the theatrical | Classical music review

Cavalleria rusticana (in concert) 

This was a real John Wilson gig. The principal conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra has made something of a speciality of semi-staged and – as in the present case – unstaged, music-only performances of musicals and operas. No costumes, scenery, props, lighting or action. Yet Wilson makes a clear-cut success of creating something out of half-nothing, judiciously choosing and delivering winners from My Fair Lady to Bizet's Carmen. This Cavalleria rusticana drew a full house.

So what's his secret? There is something innately theatrical about Wilson. This was evident even in the curtain-raiser – Rossini's Thieving Magpie overture – one of two fillers supplementing Mascagni's much-loved but half-length masterpiece. While the balance of credit must go to the genius of Rossini, of course, my feeling at the end of Wilson's spirited account of the overture was that what I really wanted now was the rest of the opera.

Then, withdrawn to more of an accompanying role for the Mascagni, the conductor infused his orchestra with this same theatricality to draw intense yet well-balanced playing while giving rein to the soloists to animate the story with their voices alone, no recourse to action.

This they did, led by Russian mezzo Elena Zhidkova, who combined a powerful voice with a vulnerable demeanour as the village girl, Santuzza, betrayed in love. Her betrayer, Turiddu, was sung with matching vocal power and a strapping stage presence reminiscent of Gaston in Disney's Beauty and the Beast by Chilean tenor Giancarlo Monsalve. The smaller roles were well-cast with Anne-Marie Owens (Lucia, Turridu's mother), Benedict Nelson (Alfio), and Anne Marie Gibbons (Lola). Also benefiting from the Wilson spirit was the fledgling RTÉ Concert Orchestra Chorus, here making its debut.

Wilson's second filler – the rarely programmed Capriccio sinfonico – was the 15-minute student piece Puccini composed for his graduation from the Milan Conservatory in 1883 (one full year ahead of the rest of his class). It's an orchestral piece punctuated with figures that would become world-famous 13 years later when Puccini poached them for La bohème.