Daft but delightful Verdi

All London's Verdians will be rejoicing. Elijah Moshinsky's production of Verdi's I Masnadieri, composed specifically for London in 1847, had hitherto been seen only in Germany, Finland and Scotland. It had the misfortune to coincide with the closure for rebuilding of Covent Garden.

But now it's come home. The first thing to say is that I Masnadieri - The Robbers - is not a great opera but an opera with great moments. Much is impressive and mature, and points to Rigoletto and beyond. Not least there are thunderingly good tunes of many moods.

It's also work with a contemporaneous political and social significance, because it's about the old order - Count Massimiliano - being countered by contrasting revolutionary ideals, those of his two sons, nice but desperate Carlo and nasty, grabbing Francesco. Promising, you might think. But as drama the work is just too daft and none of the characters extends beyond the second dimension. Schiller - he of Beethoven's Ode to Joy - was but a teenager when he wrote the play on which Andrea Maffei based his libretto. And it shows.

Yet it's hard not to warm to the piece, given this staging. It looks magnificent, revolving around a design, by Paul Brown, based largely upon a pivoting screen of glass-effect panels that appears whole in
IV.

The lighting, by Howard Harrison, is wonderfully nuanced, with impressive cascading rain effects. Under Edward Downes, who made the performing edition and who's been in charge of this staging for every performance since 1998, the work is played, sung and acted with utter belief.

First among this team of equals are tenor Franco Farina as Carlo and baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Francesco, the two brothers locked in bitter enmity. Rene Pape offers great acting style as the frail Massimiliano, and Paula Delligatti is generally excellent in the role, written for Jenny Lind, of Amalia, if a touch hard-edged and shrieky at times. No deep, life-changing psychology then, but plenty to fascinate, entertain and beguile.

I Masnadieri