Welsh National Opera (WNO) has twice this year staged operas based on the story of Moses. But the rum-ti-tum tonality of Rossini's Moses in Egypt couldn't be further removed in musical style from the stern rigour of Schoenberg's twelve-tone Moses and Aron. The 19th-century Italian's score, clearly an influence on Verdi's Nabucco and influenced by Mozart's Don Giovanni, is a mixed bag; but one thing's for sure, Rossini sure knew how to whip up the excitement at the key dramatic moments. He also added an 'impossible-love' subplot to liven up the Biblical narrative for his entertainment-loving audience, with Osiride, the Egyptian heir, in love with a Hebrew girl, Elcia.
Gorgeous voices, gorgeously complementary in their quartets and duets, made up the clutch of soloists for the Rossini. The Chagall-inspired colour palette for the costumes – lemon yellow, aqua blue, fiery reds and oranges and warm pinks – bathed the stage in a rainbow glow, making up for a rather insipid, functional staging. The parting of the Red Sea seemed marginally less miraculous when six stage-hands were clearly visible. Still, the effortlessly natural conducting of Carlo Rizzi and the WNO orchestra, and the glorious singing from all on stage, made this an enjoyable evening.
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