Gaiety, Dublin

Bellini does not feature large in the annals of Opera Ireland and its predecessor, Dublin Grand Opera Society. The complete number of Bellini productions is the same as the number for single works like Giordano's Andrea Chénierand Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann. And the two Bellini operas presented in the 21st century haven't had productions at all, just concert performances.

The latest of these, at the Gaiety Theatre, was of Bellini’s not quite Shakespearean take on Romeo and Juliet. The evening had glaring weaknesses. The conductor, Manlio Benzi, didn’t always manage to keep the singers and RTÉ Concert Orchestra closely aligned. There were frequent patches of both roughness and sponginess in the orchestral sound, as well as passages when rhythmic co-ordination underwent dismaying fragmentation. There were moments of fire in Benzi’s approach, but very few with finesse.

The Opera Ireland chorus also showed too little discipline (there was a tendency towards the use of unnecessary force), and the smaller roles of Tebaldo (Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro) and Capellio (French bass Eric Martin-Bonnet) brought reminders of the spoonerism that generates can belto out of bel canto.

But the principals were both good. Irish mezzo soprano Fiona Murphy’s Romeo had a consistent ardency that she applied as persuasively to situations of conflict as to passionate attachment.

Her contributions were firm and full, and she was particularly impressive when put under pressure at the extremes of her vocal range. The burst of extra applause for her at the end showed an audience unequivocal in its enjoyment of her singing.

Slovenian soprano Bernarda Bobro was nicely contrasted in timbre. Her tone was altogether more slender, and she had agility and pathos both readily on tap. And the voices of the two lovers worked as effectively together as they did singly in securing that melancholy that is so peculiarly Bellini’s.

Italian baritone Marcello Lippi was a bit slow to warm up as Lorenzo, but sang effectively when he did.

In short, and in spite of its shortcomings, this was a performance that made one wish the resources and time had been there for a full production.