Classical and Jazz: Preview - Islington Tenor Toby Spence at ENO
Published: 23 September 2010
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
TOBY Spence, the lyric tenor singer living in Angel, Islington, is being acclaimed as a new world-class opera superstar.
The acclaim follows his outstanding performance as Faust in the English National Opera’s new production of Gounod’s opera at the Coliseum.
Plaudits have ranged from “indisputable elegance” and “impeccably clear diction” to “highly professional” and “truly excellent vocalisation”.
Indeed, one opera critic noted that Spence delivered “a superb performance on almost every level with the money notes, the lyricism, the clear diction, the intelligence, the looks and the acting ability that the role needs”.
Toby Spence has sung numerous roles with opera companies all over the world.
But he regards Faust as his most challenging to date, not just for its prolonged singing, but also the need to establish Faust as a man of integrity rather than a wimpish sucker.
The role is made more challenging in the ENO’s excellent new production directed by Des McAnuff, the Tony Award-winner for Jersey Boys and The Who’s Tommy.
At the opening of the opera, Faust is a nuclear scientist appalled that his life’s work has been used to make the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
So when Mephistopheles (Iain Paterson) arrives, Faust grabs at the opportunity to savour the innocence of youth once more, albeit in a village where young men are being enlisted as First World War soldiers.
Now a hot-blooded youth again, Faust gets the hots for Marguerite, who has his child, but kills it and is imprisoned for infanticide.
But just as she’s summoned to hell, she’s redeemed by angels: Faust answering the Devil’s call instead. It’s a great plot, loosely based on Goethe’s Faust. But most of the action comes to be centred on Marguerite, the baby-killer.
Toby Spence’s great achievement is to maintain Faust as a plausible character when Marguerite gets most of the limelight.
It’s an achievement sustained through marathon singing in solos, duets and trios with Melody Moore as the hapless Marguerite and Iain Paterson as the demonic Mephistopheles.
Although Gounod’s great choruses lack zest, there’s fine orchestral playing under conductor Edward Gardner.
l Six performances till October 16. 0871 911 0200. www.eno.org