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Dicapo in the News OPERA NEWS REVIEW: Iolanta is an ugly duckling. There are good reasons why Tchaikovsky's fairytale opera (from a different Andersen fable) is not staged more often; almost completely lacking in dramatic tension, it is saddled with an awkward dramatic structure that at one point strings together extended arias for each of the four male protagonists. But swanlike, the work still holds a place in the hearts of opera-lovers. To put it simply, Iolanta is absolutely gorgeous, with certifiable big tunes that are by turns rousing and melting. Tchaikovsky's characters are warmly and sympathetically drawn, and the composer sustains a remarkable intimacy throughout the opera's one extended Act. That intimacy made Iolanta an astute choice for Dicapo Opera, which presented six performances in November at its Upper East Side theatre. Thc company has had succcss in mounting lesser-known repertory on a modest budget, turning its small hall and even smaller stage to advantage. Freed from worries about projecting into a larger space, the young singers offered a performance notable for its expressivity and attention to the text. 
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 Colleen Gaetano was an agile Iolanta, the princess whose eyesight is restored by love; Michael Hendrick an ardent Vaudemont, whose love is the restorative tonic; Kevin Short an imposing Ibn-Hakia, the Moorish doctor who oversees Iolanta's recovery. If Matthew Lau lacked the power in the lowest register that characterizes the classic Russian bass, he nonetheless made a deeply affecting King Rene', Iolanta's tormented father. Among the smaller roles, Aleksandra Hrabova sounded especially attractive as Brigitta, one of the princess' companions. Attention to diction and balance extended to the chorus, with the women making a charming impression in the opening section. The orchestia, necessarily reduced to fit in Dicapo's tiny pit, could not quite do justice to Tchaikovsky's score, the tutti sections sounding more like Victor Herbert or Arthur Sullivan. But under conductor Timothy Lindberg, their playing was always committed, often elegant. Albert Takazauckas provided staging of a blunt, uncomplicated sort, and neither John Farrel's sets, nor Alice Mugetti's flowing gowns added much in the way of atmosphere or character. Still, if this was opera in the stand-and-deliver mode, it made for an eminently satisfying evening. R.V.S. Lee / Opera News, April 11, 1998 Copyright Opera News RETURN TO DICAPO IN THE NEWS
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