Garden designer Harold Peto may not have envisioned opera in his pillared Italianate cloister at Iford, but a century on, he would surely celebrate the imaginative way Iford Arts use it for their summer season. It is a magical place.
Even without the sumptuous splendour associated with large-scale productions of this, Puccini's lesser-known work La Rondine, the cloister conjures the spirit of the courtesan Magda's Parisian salon, and the exuberance of the cafe Chez Bullier adds a belle époque joie de vivre. Marchesa Luisa Casti, immortalised in so many early-20th-century portraits, was apparently an inspiration for Ben Occhipinti's directorial concept. Best of all, the cloister offers a perfect setting for the final act and the blissful escape from reality enjoyed by Magda and her young lover, Ruggero. Using Philip Walsh's arrangement, conductor Oliver Gooch managed Puccini's transitions from intimacy to animated discussion and unbridled energy with style, and was fortunate in boasting a full-blooded vocal ensemble.
Central to the strength and credibility of this performance was soprano Ilona Domnich, who gave Magda a depth of character that had elements of Verdi's tragic Violetta from La Traviata, in that she must sacrifice her true love, and also of Strauss's Marschallin from Rosenkavalier, the older woman facing up to inevitable loss. Making Ruggero's hope for children the necessary end to Magda's deception, the stumbling block of her own romantic dream, Domnich's creamy soprano was artfully delivered, carrying real emotional validity right to the final poignant high farewell. James Edwards's strength of voice as Ruggero could not quite match her in tonal colour. Christopher Turner's poet Prunier was also strong but, if the tweed suit was a nod to Puccini the hunter and shooter, it somehow only underlined the very English nature of Turner's tenor and the slightly awkward comedic factor of Prunier's relationship with Lisette, who was delightfully portrayed by Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson.
• Until 21 June. Box office: 01225 44 88 44. Venue: Iford Manor, Bradford-upon-Avon.
